


The Start of Our Retaliation

by femmedefandom



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, The Last of Us
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, BAMF levi, Eventual BAMF Eren, Immune! Eren, Longer Hair Eren, M/M, Older Eren Yeager, Slow Burn, Smuggler! Levi, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-06-06 20:08:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 62,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15202502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/femmedefandom/pseuds/femmedefandom
Summary: Levi is a smuggler living in the Boston Quarantine Zone trying to survive in the world 16 years after the outbreak. Eren is a young man who is discovered to be immune. Brought together by harsh circumstances, what seems like a simple job turns into a brutal journey across the country as both Eren and Levi fight against the infected, hunters, and those that would tear them apart.





	1. Outbreak

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I hope that you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. A huge fan of the The Last of Us, I thought the world created would fit very well with the circumstances and survivalist themes that the characters live through in Attack on Titan. Don't worry though, no prior knowledge of the game is needed to understand.
> 
> Comments and kudos always appreciated!

The fact that Levi did not immediately react to the asshole barging into their apartment was only due to the loud, over dramatic groan that followed. Izzy was home.

Levi looked up from scrubbing the floor. “You’re back three hours early, you get fired?”

“Hardly, they’d beg me to stay if I ever tried to leave. Told me I was too sick to work though. Had to reschedule two appointments! The boss lady better not bitch though, no one’s got skills like I do, stupid cough aside. ‘If you cough with the needle, you’ll fuck up the linework’ they said. But hey, I am real life tattoo prodigy! Did pretty good on yours, huh big bro?”

Levi glanced down at his arm, covered with the button down he was currently wearing. “You did all right.”

Izzy laughed. “You dick, you know I rock! I’ll have you know I-“ she cut herself off with a cough. “Damn, I feel like crap right now. Maybe they weren’t crazy to send me home. I’ll crash for a few and be back, good as new!”

Levi gave her a deadpan look. “Yeah, maybe so.” With a grin, she flashed him the middle finger and collapsed onto the couch, dragging the blanket over herself.

“Is Farlan at The Underground tonight?”

“Where else would he be?”

“Well, I don’t know! Is it so weird to wonder if either of you has a social life? I can’t be the only one of us! What did you even do today? On your day off I might add?”

Levi looked at the sponge in his hand. “Cleaned mostly, fixed the AC.”

“Yeah, speaking of, can you turn that down? I’m freezing over here!” Levi obediently turned down the air and looked in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom for something to give to her, with no luck.

“What the hell though, I never get sick! Well, I haven’t in years anyway. I expect maximum care over here. Nurse Levi reporting for duty and everything! Ice packs and fresh towels and hot tea and some meds, if you please!” She called, affecting a posh voice as she lifted the blanket and kicked her shoes off.

Levi snorted, “Sure thing, brat. Only the finest here.” Izzy grinned and then yawned. “I’m actually pretty tired, you won’t mind if I pass out on you, right?”

“I think I’ll survive. Still want that tea though?”

“Duh! You make the best tea, even if it gets cold!” With another yawn, she slid deeper into the couch and turned to face the back, away from the harsh light of the kitchen. Levi went over to pull up the blanket that was already slipping and swept her bangs back out of her face.

“Mn, I’m not a puppy,” she mumbled. She then tugged the blanket up to cover her head. Very quickly her voice quieted and her breaths evened out into sleep. Levi looked in the kitchen cupboard but still couldn’t find any cold medicine. He settled for a cold pack, wrapping a handkerchief around it so it would stay on Izzy. Might as well give Farlan a call too. Izzy was like a little sister to both of them, he’d want to know. It took six rings for Farlan to pick up, and when he did, he was practically shouting.

“Hello? Levi? I- _no, you do not give them top shelf unless they’re asking for it_ \- Sorry Levi I can’t hear you very well, just give me a minute. _No, oh my god, no you don’t reuse an olive from another drink, I don’t care that they didn’t eat it! I’m taking my break, try not to kill anyone until I get back, okay? Yeah, good luck._ Hi, Levi? Yeah, I’m here now, what’s up?”

“You sound very popular, how are the newbies shaping up?”

“Abysmally. I mean, I know it’s a shitty club, but can’t they afford to hire non-idiots? Or does that make us idiots for still working here?”

“It pays the bills. And it’s under the table. As I recall, you liked that.” There’s a pause on Farlan’s end, only a heavy bass heard from inside the club. Levi could imagine him leaning up against the brick wall outside, considering.

“Yeah, I think I did. Hard to remember on nights like this. But anyway, what’s up? Can’t imagine you’re calling just to catch up about work. You’re back on tomorrow.”

“No, I don’t care about work. Just wanted you to pick up cold medicine on the way home. Super strength or something, I can’t believe we don’t have any here. Izzy’s sick, and you know her, she won’t admit something’s wrong with her even with a gun to her head. But if even she’s saying she doesn’t feel good, it might be bad.”

“Yeah, sure, I can pick some up. I’m not getting out until 3:00 tonight but I can leave at midnight and have someone cover for me. I know Labov is like a freaking gatekeeper here, but I’m sure he can overlook it just this once.”

“Great. See you then.” Levi was ready to hang up until he heard Farlan say, “Hey….you don’t think it could be that outbreak people were talking about earlier today? They said it’s affecting cities first and everyone should be on guard. Hospitals are crazy full apparently.”

“No. I don’t think it’s that. Just seems like a shitty cold. She should be back to her annoying self in a day or two.”

Levi could hear Farlan sigh in relief. “That’s good. Well, see you soon.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

With nothing left to do on the rest of his night off, Levi decided to finish cleaning the apartment. He had swept a few days ago, but he would have to get the mop out to really get the job done, especially in the kitchen. He tried not to think about Farlan’s words. It seemed like a simple cold, but the thought alone that it could be something more was chilling. They couldn’t afford a hospital. He gave the bathroom another sweep to check their stock. Even though he knew medicine would not magically appear the second time he opened the cupboard, one more try couldn’t very well hurt. Izzy’s cough had alerted him to her waking up in the other room.

“Where’s my tea?” came a muffled complaint. Levi assumed the lump of blankets covering all existence of a human was trying to guilt him for not having it ready, but a cough that came through halfway didn’t exactly fill Levi with confidence that she could even drink it. But there was no harm in indulging her. Peppermint would be good, even if Izzy complained that it tasted like drinking bland toothpaste. On second thought, he chose a mild herbal tea with lemon and honey and placed it on the table by the couch. Then Levi grabbed the play that Izzy had gotten him, and settled in his favorite red chair, planning to read a little further before Farlan got back.

Not even ten minutes later he heard a scream outside, followed by a slamming door and banging outside in the hall. Seeing Izzy passed out again, her head finally peeking out of the blanket, he scowled and went to check outside, closing the door behind him quietly. There was a man in the hallway clawing a door, ramming his whole body up against it. His left shoulder drooped lower than his right, and he was making guttural moans, interspersed with a gasping growl. Levi figured he could have been a drunk who lost his way or a local druggie until the man stopped and looked at him. Before Levi could think that the guy didn’t seem to be a run of the mill late night shithead, he suddenly abandoned his pursuit of breaking down the door and sprinted towards Levi, arms outstretched.

He instinctively reached for his knife tucked in the sheath on his back and held it out in warning. Seeing the man not slow down, he quickly sidestepped to give himself more room to maneuver. And like a bull, Shithead ran into the wall with a nasty crack before shaking his head and coming back, arms outstretched. His face was dented, mutilated with blood and gore. As Levi held him back with his arm blocking, he noticed the cloudy orange eyes, sores, and scars on his face, and jagged teeth open in a shriek. With no progress pushing, the man lunged for Levi, so he raised his leg and knocked his legs out from under him, hoping to offset the freak. The man only fell to the ground and got back up with no ill effects. Levi backed up again, closer to the window at the end of the hall.

“One last chance before I gut you here and now.” Levi really didn’t want to deal with bloodstains outside his door, but if this guy kept coming, he would have no choice. Shithead didn’t seem to register his voice, because he charged once again like he had some personal vengeance to exact. Levi’s face settled, the decision made. While he didn’t go out of his way to kill people, some would not leave well enough alone. So on his next pass, his knife made a clean swipe through Shithead’s gut, before he kicked him away again. He stumbled, before another shriek, furious this time, came out. Shithead got up and came back for another pass.

“What the fuck?” Last resort then. Levi grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie and pulled the man in, before using his own momentum to slam him through the window, breaking the glass and holding down the back of his greasy head to slash him through the neck, cutting a jagged line across the nape. Only then did Shithead slide out of the window and collapse fully on the floor. Levi kicked him for good measure. Seeing no response, he wiped off his blade on Shithead’s hoodie and went back to check on Izzy.

He wasn’t surprised that she was awake. They hadn’t exactly been quiet out there. Of course she woke up with all the racket he and Shithead were making.

“What’s wrong, bro?” She asked, rubbing her eyes.

“No idea. Some weirdo out there kept coming after me. Must have been sick in the head or some shit.” On impulse he turned on the TV, hoping his gut was wrong. A pretty young reporter stood in front of a hospital on fire speaking in that practiced cadence for relaying bad news.

“It appears that what we initially reported as riots seem to be somehow connected to the nationwide pandemic. We’ve received reports that victims afflicted with the infection show increased signs of increased aggression and-“ She got cut off by an explosion that Levi heard twice. Once on the TV before it got cut out and once outside, sounding not too far away. He could see outside the window, looks like it could have been St. David’s by the university, but it was still close enough to make him wary. A sick man who furiously attacked him and riots in the city are not a good sign. They needed to get out of here, quick. He turned to Izzy, sure that she could see the urgency in his eyes, even if his voice remained calm.

“Grab your shoes. Grab your bag. You have five minutes to gather what you can’t live without and then we’re getting the fuck out of here.” He tried Farlan’s cell, hoping to let him know that they’re getting the fuck out of Dodge, but couldn’t get through. The phone lines must’ve been down or some shit. He said as much to Izzy.

Izzy was in her work clothes but still wrapped in the stupid blanket. “Got it. I’ll grab our stuff. You leave a note for Farlan and a window open for Sina.” Both of them sprang into motion. Where would they go? If the city was compromised, then they had to get out. Any more than that, he couldn’t think about. He filled a sturdy knapsack with toothbrushes, extra clothes, some bottled water, and his phone just in case. He grabbed his extra knives and his gun as well. Their best bet would be to get to the streets and take 35 across the Colorado and then head east towards Bastrop outside the city. They could lift a car on their way and be gone by morning. He couldn’t think any further than that until they met up with Farlan.

Levi wrote the note and left it on the counter, hoping Farlan would be back soon and then threw open the window closest to Sina. The damn bird was making a racket again and Levi hoped it knew to fly high and far away. Just in case, he grabbed some food and toilet paper, throwing Izzy their emergency cash for safekeeping. They wouldn’t be coming back for a while. And their five minutes were up.

 

*****

  
As it turned out, Farlan’s boss was not okay with him leaving early. Labov told him that Farlan was his best bartender and refused to let him skip out even if it was a Tuesday night and almost no one was there. As Farlan was very politely telling him that he could yell at him tomorrow night when he showed up for his next shift, a shrill scream cut off Labov’s impending furious reply. Farlan took the distraction to leave the club, leaving his boss fuming behind him. He could tell immediately that something bad was going on, further evidenced by the shouts he heard on his way to the pharmacy, the broken glass of storefronts, and the fires raging across every corner. What had happened in the last hour? They didn’t live in the most affluent area, but this level of destruction was unheard of. He walked past enough people sprinting by that he sped up his pace as well. Were these rioters? Two blocks away from the shop he saw a man being chased down by another only to be tackled to the ground. The victim was struggling, screaming for help as the attacker was on top of him, grunting and biting. Farlan could hear the wet sounds of flesh being torn, see the splats of skin sliding off the attacker’s face onto the pavement. What the fuck? There was someone eating a person. A human being. A human being was being eaten in the alley that Farlan had just been about to take.

Farlan backed away slowly, hoping this messed up attacker was too focused to notice him. He didn’t even realize that someone was behind him until he bumped into them, letting out a yelp, and then immediately cursed himself for it when the attacker looked at him. He let out a panting whine, before he launched himself up quickly, slipping in the pool of blood before he ran towards them. Farlan ran, no time to worry about whoever he ran into before, turning left, then right, jumping over fences, and taking back alleys to lose that monster. He caught his breath on the stoop of the convenience store a block away from the apartment. He didn’t bother worrying about cold medicine anymore. He had to find Levi and Izzy.

When he reached their building, Farlan raced up the stairs to the fourth floor and followed the streaks of blood along the hall until he saw the man lying face down by the shattered window at the other end, a long gash taken out of his neck. Pushing down his gag reflex, Farlan grabs his shoulder and turns him over. Bugged out eyes, and sores all over his face, fluid dripping out of his mouth. It’s too much to be a coincidence. And right outside the apartment? There’s no way Levi wouldn’t have heard it. Just in case, he unlocked the door and checked. There was no sign of either of them. But he did see a sheet of paper on Levi’s otherwise immaculate kitchen counter.

_“Things have gone to shit, we packed up and headed out. Meet us on the bridge and bring anything you can’t live without.”_

He trusted Levi, and even if he hadn’t seen what he’d seen, he’d still be packing up his bag and preparing for the worst case scenario. It takes him three tries to zip his backpack, his hands were shaking so much before he could race back out. Farlan didn’t know how much time they had on him, but he had to start making that up quickly. He increased his pace, steadfastly ignoring his labored breaths. The streets almost seemed barren, a few stragglers like him until he got to 35. It was gridlocked. Cars and people and honking and shouting. He guessed everyone wanted to leave the city. Farlan pushed through, dodging around stragglers and climbing over cars to reach the bridge. He stressed for a moment on how he was going to find them in this chaos, and then he heard screaming. It wasn’t anger, but fear. A pure, primal fear as more of those monsters came out. He needed to find Levi and Izzy quick.

 

*****

 

Levi took off down the streets before realizing that Izzy couldn’t keep the same pace she usually did, so he turned back and grabbed her hand, pulling her along. He couldn’t move as fast as he’d like this way, Izzy still woozy and her breath not recovered enough for a full out sprint between coughs, but it was the best they could do. Her hand in his was sweaty, and she kept slipping out so he kept gripping harder. There were sure to be bruises later, but they’d deal with that when the time came. They didn’t see anyone running by, the whole way seeming ominously silent. When they got to the bridge there was already a crowd. Dozens of cars and hundreds of people in between. In all the empty spaces, were people pushing against each other, shoving others out of the way, trying to get out before anyone else. Harried mothers and crying kids. High school boys that looked like they’d pissed themselves in fear. Loud men getting louder to cover up their terror. No one knew what was going on. No one knew where was safe. All they knew was that they wanted out. Them and everyone else in Austin. There was a buzz in the air, a high pitched strained confusion that couldn’t mean anything good. Horns were honking and people were yelling and Levi told Izzy to not let go of his hand as he stormed his way into the masses. He was short and so was Izzy so he muscled them through every gap in the crowd that he could find. Cramped and barely moving, but with time hopefully they’d get out. It was packed and he couldn’t see how far they had to go, so he held tight to Izzy and prayed Farlan got the note and that he’d be here soon.

Things were going well until Izzy coughed. It wasn’t once, but a long, drawn out series, making her sound like she was hacking up a lung or something. At first, it didn’t matter. Then she coughed again, just as loud and stumbled tripping up the bearded asshole stuck behind them with greasy hair. He got himself back up, prepared to scream at them for doing something as idiotic as falling before he got a glimpse of Izzy’s glassy eyes and pale face and started freaking out.

“Hey, is she sick or something?” He cried, his voice rising with every hysterical word. “She is, isn’t she? She’s sick, infected like those monsters out there?!”

He started scooting backward on his ass, trying to get up, his cry attracting the attention of the people around them. They started making space around them, distancing themselves as much as possible in the packed space. Levi wrapped his arm around Izzy to lift her up and glared at the man. He had to shut this asshole up.

“It’s just coughing. Ever seen a cold before, dipshit?”

Another man spoke up, “we thought they were just sick at first too. Now look! How do you know she’s not like them?!”

“How can we trust you? Who are you anyway?” His wife added.

“Yeah! What if she starts attacking us?” Asshole cried.

“We just got out of the city, I don’t wanna die just ‘cause you can’t leave your girlfriend! Can’t you tell she’s sick?” A young man pleaded.

“She’s not like those monsters,” Levi insisted. His voice was lost in the crowd. Suddenly there was space between the bodies around them. Whispers turning to shouts, doubts turning to certainty. Izzy’s face was pale with sickness, eyes wide with fear. She covered her mouth to hide any more offending coughs but it was too late.

“What do we do? Push them back? Or off the bridge?” A large man asked the crowd. There were noises of agreement. Everyone called out suggestions, encouragements to get rid of them.

“Yeah, get them out of here, there’s only two!”

“Throw them into the river!”

“Who knows when she’ll attack? Maybe he’s sick too!”

“The sooner the better!”

“You’ve seen how strong they are, what if she attacks us all?”

“There’s so many of us, we can handle a little bitch like this one!”

“How many times do I have to tell you, she’s not like them, it’s just a cold!” Levi was yelling now. And he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. He punched the first guy to come close. “Stay away from us!”

“See! He knows something’s wrong!” One woman cried.

“Why don’t you want us to get close, huh? You know she’s sick, and you’re protecting her!” Another woman insisted.

“I’m just trying to get to safety like all of you.” Trying to think like Farlan. Trying to be diplomatic, even if he wasn’t that good at it.

“We can’t take that risk!” One yelled.

“That’s right! We’re not sick like you!” A boy not much older than Izzy yelled.

“Get out of here!”

“Head back to the city!”

“Just die already and leave us alone!”

Levi couldn’t hear individual voices anymore. He couldn’t stop people backing away as much as the limited space allows. He couldn’t stop Izzy shaking, her green eyes wider than ever, and he couldn’t stop the eerie silence of commotion as she tried to convince the crowd that she’s fine, it’s just a cold. Her feeble voice didn’t help. All they heard was the cough that followed, and her quiet moan as Levi grabbed her too tightly. The air was charged. Dozens of people in a circle around them all at their breaking point. Levi leans down and the crowd tenses as he picks her up in his arms. Her head was resting on his shoulder, body tense as she watched the crowd. People were getting out of their cars now, and progress across the bridge was still slow, and Levi didn’t have the time to worry about these assholes, but he needed to keep Izzy safe.

“I will kill the next person to get close to us. I’ll make them suffer until they beg for death. I will cut off their hands and shove them up their asses if any of you get close to us. Just let us take this bridge, and trust me, I’ll never want to see any of you fuck faces again. Here, I’ll even carry her so paranoid shits like you won’t have to touch. Just let us use the bridge and we’ll be on our way.”

That man was still staring, looking at Izzy as if she were every monster he’s ever seen. He pulls out a gun and the crowd is incited to a frenzy again. Levi tried to back up but he couldn’t get past a rusty red pickup in his path. He couldn't run and he couldn’t hide with the people blocking him, still trying to move forward and he tried to turn around and protect her but he didn’t even hear it amidst the noise. All he felt was Izzy jerk in his arms and then somehow his hands were wet, and Izzy’s head wasn’t resting on his shoulder, and she had stopped coughing, and her goddamn hoodie with the cat ears had fallen off her head, showing her pigtails, and he could feel her slipping, and he couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t hear, and she fell to the ground like a sack of laundry, and she was the heaviest thing he’d ever carried and he still felt heavy even when she was on the ground, sliding down the grille of the pickup to lie face down on the pavement. He fell to his knees with the weight of it, and tried to turn her over and pet her hair so she could snap at him, tell him, “I’m not a puppy, big bro!” Brushed her bangs away from her eyes. Her big green eyes. That pimple she hated covered by her blood, still flowing. He tried tucking her hair behind her ear but his fingers caught, dipped into the cracked opening of her skull. Could feel the bone fragments catching in the strands.

“Izzy…” His eyes were wide and his head was pounding and his eyes were hot and his throat hurt and he didn’t realize he was screaming until another person slams into him as they escape and he stops. He looks up and sees the asshole. Still standing there in shock, as if he weren’t the one to destroy Levi so casually.

“I had to protect us,” he said. He was standing so close. He didn’t know to fear Levi. He would. The people were still rushing, still frenzied and they were stepping on Izzy’s legs sprawled out past the truck in their haste. Levi lunged for the asshole, grabbed him by the shirt collar and flung him to the ground, pressed down on the pavement by his neck and squeezed, watching his eyes bug out. He couldn’t move too far away from Izzy. But he couldn’t stay there either, not within the reaches of the city. He couldn’t lie down and hold her in his arms again. He gripped Asshole’s neck tighter and grabbed his knife from its sheath.

“You killed her.”

“She was going to go crazy! She would have killed us all! She was a monster! I saved us! I saved us all!” The man sputtered, choking around his words.

“You fucking goddamn piece of shit. Do you even know what you just did?” The man is slow to react. Only skilled enough to shoot unarmed, unprepared, sick girls and not an angry man with a hand around his neck and a knife held up in warning. Because he hadn’t even had time to try and reach down when Levi’s knife is through his wrist, making him drop the gun he was aiming for. So to punish him for even thinking to fight back, Levi cuts off his wrist and after a moment of deliberation cuts off the other. Levi went for his shoulder next, securing him to the ground as he writhes in pain. And then he goes for both his eyes, not deep enough to kill yet. Levi is quick, each blinding movement spraying more blood and inflicting more pain but it was not enough. The man was sobbing, screaming for help, as Levi’s knife came down, again and again, hacking away without mercy, missing vitals, but causing pain. The man can beg for salvation all he wants, he wouldn’t receive any. No one in this crowd would help him. No one will stop the mad man with a knife. They’re still pushing and shoving to get off the bridge, no time to look down on the ground and concern themselves with one more victim to the slaughter.

Levi can’t think, can’t plan anything beyond bringing the knife down again. He didn’t even worry about how Asshole’s blood will surely stain. He doesn’t know why Asshole isn’t fighting back anymore, he could do this for hours. But when has anything gone right tonight? Maybe it might’ve if the infected hadn’t found them. “They’re here!” yells a cracked voice, resonating with the crowd. There was no mistake. The crowd surges even harder than before, running now over cars and other people and Levi is jostled from crouching over the asshole, falling back by Izzy, still lying in front of that red pickup. The driver is long gone and it’s almost a stampede now that the infected had arrived. He crouched in front of her, to protect her from humans and infected alike, and it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to see one. With only one way out, dozens had already fallen but the monsters still weren’t satiated, still looking for more people. One of them is getting close, but Levi didn’t want to draw more attention with a gun. He looked at asshole, still inexplicably alive for all he’s been through and asks absently, “What’s your name, asshole?”

A few gasps come out before he breathes, “Felman.”

“Felman. I wish I were sorry for this.” Asshole’s eyes can’t react but Levi can sense the panic in him rising. He doesn’t have a chance to beg before he’s thrown out in the path of the infected. It’s seconds before he was torn apart alive, without even time to scream. While the infected is distracted, Levi darted out to stab it in the neck, digging deep and carving out the nape before returning to the relative safety provided by the truck. He’s not a coward, but he’s not a fool either. He still had Izzy to protect and he didn’t know how many are coming. He was getting ready to peek out again when he hears a call:

“Levi! Izzy! Where are you?” Farlan. Levi turned, eyes taking a minute to focus on the figure trying to get around the stragglers, calling for them both, and shooting any of the infected that got too close. The bridge is clearer now, most of the people either dead or escaped. Levi could see him aim once more at one of them, realize he was out of bullets, swear, and grab the shotgun on his back to fire. The fucker was blown back from close range, giving Farlan time to reload and continue down the bridge looking for them.

Farlan. It was Farlan. Shit. What would he tell Farlan? But he could see the desperation in his eyes, and he knew delaying wouldn’t help anything.

“Farlan!” He croaked, not even recognizing his voice. He sounded hoarse, in pain and he didn’t think he could call again, but luckily Farlan heard him, turning to see Levi leaning out from in front of the pickup. Relief was evident in his whole body, sprinting to Levi, a wide grin forming before it’s stopped in its tracks. Before he could think of anything to say Farlan stopped. He can see her now. Stupid hoodie with the cat ears and leggings that she insisted were pants with her pigtails still intact despite the bullet in her brain. Farlan fell to his knees. Levi felt like he was watching a memory of himself, falling, grieving, and trying to fix her unruly hair just one last time.

Before he could say anything, he saw them coming closer. With the rest of the evacuees gone or down, the infected were coming straight for them. They didn’t have time to grieve. Levi moved to get up, grabbed his revolver and was about to shoot when the infected coming towards him was blown back by a shotgun blast. He looked to see Farlan loading another, his 9mm abandoned until they could find more ammo. There were six of them on the bridge so far, tough, but doable. He and Farlan took them down one by one and only after they confirmed that no more were incoming did he watch as Farlan crumbled, broke into a mess, and Levi hated to do it but he had to. This place wasn’t safe. And who knew when the next time they came, if they would have more, too many to handle.

“Farlan,” he tried. It came out as a miserable, and as rough as sandpaper. “Farlan we need to leave.” There was no reaction. Slowly he lowered his own gun and stumbled over to Farlan and Izzy. “Farlan, we need to get out of the city.” He reached out to grab his shoulder and Farlan flinched.

“Right. Escape the city. I know. It’s just….” He was still staring at Izzy. He felt that the three of them were in their own private bubble as the world collapsed around them, people still sporadically running by no less frantic for the lack of infected at the moment. Levi crouched down to pick up Izzy again. And her weight would almost have felt comforting were it not for her unresponsiveness. It felt odd not having her pinch at his side or flick him on the ass to get him to crack a smile. That little brat was always trying to get him to show a reaction. She said he had permanently paralyzed face muscles and it was her honor and duty as de facto little sister to cure him. He held her head tight against his chest so she wouldn’t be jostled as they made their way forward. They found a car right off the bridge on the side of the road, driver door still opened. Unbidden, Farlan got in the passenger seat and Levi placed Izzy in the backseat, before climbing to the front to pull out and head east as he had originally intended. They drove in silence through the night until the sun started to peak above the horizon, blinding him after the long night. It was already hot, but Texas was always hot, and it didn’t explain why Levi still felt cold. An hour after the sunrise, Farlan finally looked at him instead of the window as they wound their way out of Travis County.

“So,” Farlan began, “what now?”

 

*****

_“The number of confirmed deaths has passed two hundred. The governor has called a state of emergency…”_

_“There were hundreds and hundreds of bodies lining the streets…”_

_“Panic spread worldwide after a leaked report from the World Health Organization showed that the latest vaccination tests have failed.”_

_“…with the bureaucrats out of power, we can finally take the necessary steps to….”_

_“Los Angeles is now the latest city to be placed under martial law.”_

_“All residents are required to report to their designated quarantine-“_

_“Riots have continued for the third consecutive day and winter rations are at an all-time low.”_

_“A group calling themselves the Fireflies have claimed responsibility for both attacks.”_

_“Their public charter calls for the return of all branches of government.”_

_“Demonstrations broke out following the execution of six more alleged Fireflies”_

_“You can still rise with us. Remember when you’re lost in the darkness…look for the light. Believe in the Fireflies.”_

 

*****

16 YEARS LATER

*****

 

Despite being awake for hours, Levi keeps his eyes closed when he hears someone walk right in and approach the bed. “I know you’re not sleeping. Come on, get up.”

Levi opens his eyes to glare at Erwin. “I could have been. What’s got your panties so twisted that you came to wake me up?”

Erwin laughs, “We both know you weren’t, even though I told you that you needed rest. I know you think you’re a machine, but I can’t have you collapsing in the middle of a deal just because you’re too stubborn to admit you’re tired.”

“Your concern is creeping me out, Eyebrows.”

“Well, then you should be relieved that I am rescinding my suggestion of a day off. I’m afraid I’ll need your particular brand of expertise today.”

“Oh?” Levi lifts an eyebrow. “Let me guess, they ran off with the drugs and we have no ration cards to show for it.”

“No actually, the intel was good and the deal went off without a hitch. We have enough rations cards to last us weeks. What was concerning was since yesterday, Flagon got jumped and left to rot in the alleys for us to find. Nanaba let me know this morning but it wasn’t until they tried going after Mike about an hour ago that we were able to get more information.” Levi shook his head, wondering whether it was ill-advised confidence or straight up stupidity that had them going up against Mike with less than 10 men.

“So, who’s the target? It shouldn’t be Reeves, right?”

“No, it’s Zackly.”

“Darius Zackly? You’re shitting me. Why the fuck would he try to cross us now? It’s not like we haven’t dealt in the past. So what changed?”

Erwin nods, “that’s exactly what we’re going to find out. Grab your supplies” He looks at Levi, still with his pants and boots on. “I guess I don’t need to tell you to get dressed. We’re going to meet up with Mike before heading out. If Zackly has the balls to try and take down our crew, he must have either a very good reason, or very strong backing. I’m not taking any chances.” Levi finally rolls off the bed and tightens his laces before following Erwin out the door, not forgetting to grab his hidden daggers or his gun.

Erwin and Levi make their way through the alleys, past Firefly propaganda graffitied on the brick and residents complaining under their breath about getting assigned outside work duty. It’s supposed to be the job of the soldiers, but what does that matter when they can stay safe inside the walls? There’s a line by the checkpoint, and Erwin remarks, “Looks like half-rations again this week.” Bad for the citizens, but good for business.

As they continue down the main stretch to the checkpoint, Levi keeps his head down. He and Erwin may not have committed any crimes today, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious around the patrols. They worm their way around the concrete barricades, still up from the initial defense of possible invasion, towards a glorified tollbooth guarded not by bored underpaid civil servants, but by overconfident young men with guns.

“Attention. Citizens are required to carry a current ID at all times. Compliance with all city personnel is mandatory”

Listening to the announcement, Erwin pulls out their IDs specifically for crossing checkpoints as they approach one. The guard, wearing worn Kevlar but a severe expression inspects the cards before studying the two men before him. “What’s your business in Sector 5?”

Levi doesn’t reply. He knows by now that his acerbic tone and unsmiling face wouldn’t help much, so he leaves it to Erwin. “Just visiting a friend, sir.” Cue the politician’s smile as Levi hides his snort. The guard softens, marginally, deeming them non-threatening and moves back to let them pass when an explosion goes over not 50 feet away. Before Levi can barge through with Erwin close behind, the guard closes the gate and shouts over the now roaring gunfire, “Gate’s closed until further notice.”

Almost immediately an announcement is projected. “Attention. Checkpoint 5 is now closed until further notice. All civilians must clear the surrounding area immediately.”

They’re both pushed back while the military goes to take out the dissidents. “Fireflies,” Levi huffs, “always fucking something up.”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan B, there was no guarantee on the easy way anyhow.”

“I’m sure that you have a plan C-Z as well.”

“C through Q actually. R is the ultimate last-minute contingency.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“It involves Hanji’s latest invention, actually.” Levi can’t tell if Erwin is joking or not, so he decides not to risk it. They double back to where they came from, going to the abandoned motel with a collapsed basement tunnel. Erwin nods to the man on guard and he moves the dresser hiding the entrance. Levi wrinkles his nose at the smell that wafts out. Levi mutters before jumping down the hole, “I hate Plan B.”


	2. The Job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience! This chapter was a huge one and I think it got to about 11,000 words before I realized it was too big, so I split it in half to post sooner! It's a bit of a transitional one, but you'll get to see a little more of Erwin's crew, which is fun! Comments and kudos are always appreciated, I'd love to know if you like the story!
> 
> You can find me at on Tumblr at:
>
>> ####  [Femme de Fandom](http://femmedefandom.tumblr.com/)

With another Firefly attack against the military, it’s certain they’re going to close all the checkpoints. Their only option to get to Sector 5 where Mike usually hangs out is to sneak outside the wall into the buffer zone, and then back in. Risky, but necessary to figure out why Zackly, a long term partner, has suddenly turned. That’s where the tunnels come in handy, even if they smell like death. Levi hears Erwin land behind him and they both grab their supply backpacks and attach their clip on flashlights before continuing forward down the dank passageway.

“What did Mike tell you so far?” Levi asks.

“He said that the men who came after him didn’t know much, but that one of them mentioned that ‘this was a lot of work to take down a crew over a few guns.’” Erwin reports.

“Is he still with us?”

“Regrettably, yes. He ran away once he saw that Mike had the upper hand. Zackly probably already knows we’re coming for him.”

“But seriously, a few guns? They clearly didn’t know anything. Are you saying that he sold them and is trying to hide it?”

Erwin nods. “That’s the best bet. But for his sake, I hope he didn’t. He’s not trustworthy, but he’s held merchandise for us before and he knows we don’t pardon traitors. Slimy as he is, he values his own skin. As old friends, we really should talk through his concerns, face to face.”

Levi huffs a laugh, “old friends indeed.” There’s silence for a bit as they wind through the tunnel until Erwin speaks again.

“I even lined up a buyer for the guns already. It’d be a shame if we can’t get them back.”

“A damn shame.” Levi agrees. “That doesn’t explain why you seem so interested. So Zackly got greedy. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened. Certainly won’t be the last.”

“No,” Erwin replies, “it wouldn’t. It’s just a feeling. Something big must have happened, and I want to know what.”

Levi scoffs. “You’re trying to make it sound like a conspiracy, but I think you just secretly love gossip. Look at you, eyes lit up and everything.”

“It’s my job to know the movements and motivations of the zone,” Erwin protests.

“And how on Earth does whether Nile’s second kid come two weeks early or not have anything to do with business?”

“Easy, he’s been skittish lately with worry about Marie. Once the baby’s born and she’s fine, he’ll be back to trading with us. He’s the best soldier we have on the inside.” Erwin sounds completely sure in his evaluation.

“Yes, yes, his morals are delightfully questionable and it’s extremely profitable and we’re all thrilled. Still doesn’t explain how you know all the potential baby names.” Levi insists.

“It’s building a relationship Levi, surely I don’t need to explain that to you,” Erwin’s chiding tone is grating enough for him to drop the topic. They’re silent until they crawl out of a hole in the floor and into a diner outside the wall, having used the East Tunnel to walk underneath all of Sector 4. Levi sees Erwin relax as they walk outside and he can empathize.

“It sure is nice to be outside the walls.”

Erwin turns and grins, “I’m surprised you lasted this long in Boston actually. Thought you would have run off somewhere to start all over again in the great outdoors.”

Levi snorts, “I’m not doing that. Rather not have to be on the lookout for infected while I’m taking a shit.”

Erwin nods, conceding the point, before speaking under his breath, “Still can’t believe how you lasted so long wandering before you came here.”

Levi stiffens, hearing him. “Well. That’s in the past now.” His tone shuts down any more inquiry. They walk in a winding path around the perimeter to avoid patrols before finding the right building and walking in. Erwin starts a new topic, for which Levi is quietly thankful for.

“Once we get our merchandise back, it should be easy to unload.”

“Speaking of merchandise, when’s the next shipment due?”

“Well, we’re meeting Hanji next month. More pills, and lots of ammo supposedly.”

Levi whistles low, “Where do they find it all?”

“No idea, but I did ask for them to keep an eye out for that bourbon.”

Levi hums, remembering the taste. “We both know that was a one-off.”

Erwin’s response is cut off upon seeing a thick fog seeping out of the doorway. Spores. Both men pull out their gas masks to wear in preparation. You’d be infected either way, but Levi always felt that it’d be a lot stupider to turn from bad air than a pack of runners. But their presence here is not a good sign. Spores only come out in a thick mist like this from dead infected, regardless of how long they’d been turned. He’s thinking aloud when he asks, “Where are all these coming from? The place was clear last time.”

Erwin, ever the commander says, “Well they’re coming from somewhere. Stay alert.” It’s not long after that they come across a dead runner with fungal protrusions all around it’s body. The virus is still spreading even if its host won’t. Levi nudges it with his foot, “there’s our culprit.”

Erwin walks up behind him, “Body’s not that old, better keep your eyes and ears open.”

It looks like before he died, he caused some destruction in the room. There’s fresh rubble and Levi surveys the disarray and fallen shelves in front of him before reaching out his arms out to test the beams that sag across the doorway. They creak, but hold by themselves.

“Ceiling doesn’t seem very stable, try to keep your head down coming through.” Levi very pointedly does not pay attention to that fact that he doesn’t have to duck the way Erwin does. There’s even more furniture in shambles in the next room, a man lying underneath the pile. He looks dead until he suddenly grabs Levi’s ankle. Before Levi can react to kick him off, the man gasps, “please…my mask broke. Help me…don’t leave me to turn…into one of those.” He must not have been here long. Most likely another survivor trying to get into the quarantine, only to die right outside the wall. Levi graces him with a bullet to the head and they continue on their way.

They’re crawling through a collapsed wall that leads into the next building when they hear a deep scream cut off quick. A human then. Hiding up against the wall, Levi listens hard, there must be at least three runners. Once he hears a gurgle and a thump, he creeps out past the wall to take down one of the runners standing apart from the group by snapping his neck before laying him on the floor with a muffled thud. He and Erwin come from different sides to take out the other two while they’re distracted with tearing apart the fresh body. Two shots and it’s over. Levi makes sure that that’s all of them before standing up and putting away his revolver.

He can imagine what happened. A group of survivors decides that they have had enough of running, so they decide to break into the zone. They’re so excited being right outside the wall that they don’t notice the spores until it’s too late. One turns, and then another, leading to this mess. A tragedy that’s become too common to mourn.

“Everyone complains about it, but then there’s these poor bastards desperate to be living inside.” Levi climbs up the stairs to the second level and jumps out of the window, landing easily. He pulls off his gas mask and hears Erwin behind him, taking an exaggerated breath.

“It’s better than spores but sometimes I really can’t stand the smell of the city. Smoke and shit and grime and sweat every day. Being out here, grass growing over everything, you just can’t beat it.” He stands tall, soaking in the sun that turns his hair golden. Squinting, Levi wonders if he’s trying to pose for a nonexistent camera.

He gives him a shove that jolts him back to reality. “Country boy.”

Erwin stumbles and looks back, pretending to be affronted. “Suburbs boy if anything.”

“Why doesn’t Hanji pick you up some candles or something on their next run?”

He agrees easily, “I’ll ask next time. Passionfruit or fresh linen?”

Shaking his head, Levi continues on. It’s a convoluted path, getting back into the quarantine, but they get to the final building in good time, Levi looking the door behind them. He hangs back while Erwin goes forward and finds a gap toothed brat to check if the coast is clear before they head in. “No patrols or any of Zackly’s men, got it?”

The boy nods and gets a ration card for his trouble. Levi rubs his shoulder to work out a kink while they wait. A minute later there’s a knock at the door and both of the men come out.

Almost immediately Erwin is approached. They’re in the slums now and as the head of a successful smuggling operation, there’s no shortage of men or women trying to get in the crew. They’re on a mission though and Erwin brushes them aside. They walk through a market area, haphazard stalls set up far too close together, with dirty men and dirtier weapons standing in front of their wares. Levi winds through easy enough, past the dogs barking and the grunts and smacks heard from the fighting pits. The same ones that Erwin found Levi at years ago. He can’t believe how long it’s been.

He sees Mike in the alley outside as he leans against the brick. The man is calm and his eyes are closed, but no one with half a brain would think he’s an easy target. Mike is essential to their group, an information broker as well as a top notch enforcer and smuggler. Unfortunately he doesn’t have great news for them. Before either can greet him, he says, “We aren’t the only ones looking for Zackly. As of an hour ago, Grisha is too. He’s been asking around trying to find him. Seems desperate.”

“His wanted posters all around the zone probably don’t help,” Levi muses.

Curious, Erwin asks, “What’d you tell him?”

Mike grins, “That I have no idea where he is.”

Erwin grins back and claps Mike on the shoulder, leaning in. “And what’s the truth?”

“Back at the wharf. Should still be there now.”

On their way there, Levi asks Mike, “Why would the Fireflies want Zackly?”

Mike shrugs, and sniffs as if offended he doesn’t know. “Only one way to find out.”

When they get close enough to smell the fishy scent of the docks, they run into three men blocking their way. It looks like Zackly hasn’t given up trying to get rid of them yet. The first guy stands ahead, cocky. He must be the de facto leader of the rag tag crew. “What’s your business here?”

Erwin steps forward as well, Levi and Mike on both sides. “We’re just on our way through. We need to speak with Zackly. You don’t need to get involved in this.”

The man snorts, and then spits. A real charmer. “And I think you don’t want to get your asses beaten. So listen closely. Get. The fuck. Out.”

Mike scratches his head in mock confusion, “…didn’t realize that you owned the wharf now. I certainly haven’t heard anything about it.”

The man puffs his chest up and pulls out a gun. “Did you not hear what I said? Get your pansy asses out of our territory unless you wanna die!”

Levi huffs, “fuck this guy” and shoots him. The other two are still in shock when they’re taken down as well by Erwin and Mike.

Mike tucks a stand of his hair back behind his ear. “Well that was anti-climatic. I thought for sure the way they were posturing that it’d be a little harder.”

“Don’t be too eager. I have a feeling there are more waiting ahead.” Erwin strides forward, confident despite his earlier words of caution. But as always, he’s right, and the three men see at least fourteen more camped out waiting by the shipping containers at the docks before they can get close to the building Zackly should be in. Each of them is scattered, walking a halfhearted patrol on the lookout for them. He’s paranoid, but this seems like overkill. Luckily they all seem spread out enough to take down one by one. The crates left over from before the outbreak will provide ample coverage.

“You and your goddamn feelings,” Levi mutters, before creeping out from the crate he was behind and stabbing one of the men in the neck. He falls with a gurgle and is hidden before the others can notice. Wiping off his blade on the guard’s shirt, he notices Mike follows suit on the other side.

As Levi trails his next two targets, he hears one of the men say, “That big guy already taken out six of our men. We know they’re coming! We shouldn’t have taken this job!” His voice is high and anxious. Not what he’d look for in a guard, but that does make it easier. Levi can’t believe this is the private army Zackly got to take them out. He throws an empty bottle lying next to him and the cowardly guy jumps, gun raised to investigate the noise. While he’s distracted, Levi grabs his friend, pulling him down by the nape of his neck to slit his throat before snapping the neck of the worried guy before he turns around. They don’t want Zackly to know they’re coming just yet.

Levi has to take down three more guys before he makes it to the warehouse at the end of the wharf and meets up with the other two. Slowing down to clean his Kabar again, Erwin takes the lead to open the door and heads down the hallway to the office. Despite their intention, Zackly’s sitting calmly at the desk in the corner looking unsurprised at their arrival. He’s pale though, his glasses askew and hair greasy. “I was wondering when you three would be here. It looks like you’re quicker than I originally gave you credit for.”

Erwin smiles, “well I’m flattered that you were expecting us, Darius. It seems as though we have a bit of business to talk about.”

Zackly continues on as if he didn’t hear him. “It’s a shame though. You won’t get any farther.” His hand that was beneath the desk suddenly raises, holding a gun. All three scatter. Zackly fires wildly before running out of bullets. Hearing the click of an empty magazine, he drop it and sprints out the door on the other side opposite of where they came in. The three of them hear him go and rush forward. He doesn’t get far outside before he’s banging at chain link fence at the dead end of an alley. They spread out behind him, blocking his escape. When he hears their footsteps he turns and scratches his bearded jaw. “Well, this is a little awkward.”

Levi just stares at him, “apologies for any inconvenience.”

Zackly takes it as tacit permission to relax. “So you understand then. Just a misunderstanding, really. I’ll just head out and we can discuss this later as civilized folk. Well then-“

As he starts to sprint away, Levi trips him with some stray rebar that was lying nearby. Zackly falls face first into the pavement. He doesn’t even both getting up. “I can explain.”

“Go ahead,” Erwin prompts. “How about you start with where our guns are?”

He hesitates. “It’s complicated. You see-“ Levi and Mike share a look before Levi kicks Zackly in the face to break his nose, knocking off his glasses, and holds his arm down to keep him still. Panting, and fearful of Levi’s next move, he concedes: “I sold them.”

Upon seeing their faces he scrambles to justify. It’s rare to see him not looking composed. Great, after all this shit, now he’s worried about the consequences. Or maybe he’s just didn’t think they’d find him so soon. “I didn’t have a choice! I owed someone, someone you do not want to owe things to! I needed to pay off that debt. It’s a shit world, I know that, but I like my life, okay?”

Erwin remains cool but his eyes hold a threat. “You owed us. Now, I understand making a gamble. I’m a betting man myself. But considering where you’ve ended up, I’d say this time you bet on the wrong horse.”

“Look, all I need is a week, ten days tops! I can pay you back!”

Erwin nods, “We might have even considered that, had you not had Flagon killed. And then you tried going after Mike too…” Zackly falls silent again, trying to find an angle to bargain with. Erwin crouches down, close to where Zackly’s face is pressed into the ground. “So I’m going to try this again: where are our guns?”

Seeing him not respond, Levi breaks the arm he’s holding down. Zackly howls, “Jesus Christ, what the-“ He stops when he sees Levi go for the other. “Okay! Okay. Take pity on an old man, would you? It was the Fireflies. I owed the Fireflies.” At the silence, he tries again for a way out. “But they’re on their last leg, the military’s wiping them out. I bet we could finish the job, get the guns back, probably even more than they have stockpiled….” His voice rises in pitch, warming to his idea on how to survive, to profit, so much so that he doesn’t notice that Levi has let him go to stand up. Once Levi is out of the way, Mike shoots the bastard.

“Going after the Fireflies? That was a stupid idea.”

Erwin and Levi agree. That’s a firefight they don’t want to get pulled into. But it may be the only option. Erwin looks at Mike and asks, “Any idea where we can find a Firefly?”

Levi is about to protest that finding a Firefly is almost as stupid as fighting them when a voice down the alley cuts them off. “You won’t have to look very far.”

All three turn to see Grisha Jaegar standing there. He’s a doctor turned sympathizer turned Head Firefly, but his wire-rimmed glasses and cardigan still affect the idea that he’s your kindly neighbor instead of a violent rebel militia group chief. Levi snorts, “Well there you go. How about asking Mike where to look for a cheeseburger next.”

Mike laughs at that. Erwin ignores their banter to point out the obvious. “You’re not looking so hot over there.”

Now that’s the truth. His long hair is a scraggly mess, buttons are missing, and Levi’s pretty sure the singed off sleeve isn’t a fashion statement. But that’s not what Erwin meant. No one looks pristine anymore. Grisha looks down at himself as if just noticing the gunshot wound in his side, still bleeding heavily in a spreading stain across his abdomen. His hand presses harder to stop the flow, but then he shakes his head as if it doesn’t matter.

“I’m here for Zackly. Have you seen him?” Erwin and Levi move out of the way, showing off the body in the alley their bodies had been blocking.

Grisha sighs, loudly. “I needed him alive.”

Mike retorts, “And we needed our guns.”

“Your guns?” Grisha looks to Erwin in honest confusion.

“Yes, our guns. The ones he sold to you weren’t his to give. We need them back.”

Grisha sounds exasperated like he’s speaking to children. “It doesn’t work like that Erwin, and you know it. I paid for those guns. If you want them back, you’ll have to earn them.”

And that just rubs Levi the wrong way. “We’ll earn our own guns back. That’s very generous of you.”

Grisha doesn’t seem to be affected by the sarcastic tone. “It is actually. Considering that now I can’t use Zackly.”

Mike interjects. “How many cards do you need?”

And look, the condescending doctor is back. “I don’t care about ration cards,” he spits as if it’s a dirty word. “I need something smuggled out of the city. You do that right?”

“We do that,” Erwin agrees. “For the right price and if we know what we’re smuggling.”

Levi adds, “But how do we even know that you have any of our guns left? The way I’ve been hearing it, there’s hardly any of you left. Getting wiped out in every sector, isn’t that right?”

Grisha looks down, “You’re not wrong. But I can show you the weapons. All yours and then some, if you can do the job.”

Before an agreement can be settled, Mike sniffs the air and in a tone broking absolutely no argument says, “Someone’s coming.”  
Not even thirty seconds later all of them can here soldiers shouting. “Search the area!” One of them calls. “He’s bound to be around here somewhere.”

As the crew looks at Grisha, he grimaces. “Well, it’s not like I shot myself. It’s now or never, are you interested?”

Erwin makes the decision. “I want to see our guns.”

Immediately Grisha leads them out of the alley, and up a staircase outside one of the buildings and across the rooftops. The summer sky is getting darker, casting shades of orange that promise a sunset soon but the view is marred by the clouds of black smoke in every sector. Another explosion goes off as they stand there. Levi looks over at the doctor. “Is that you?”

Grisha glances over, distracted, before nodding. “What’s left of us.”

“Going out with a bang?”

“Defending ourselves,” he replies with heat. “They just needed a scapegoat to take everyone’s mind off the fact that infected are still getting in. More and more people are dying, rations are down again, and the public morale is lower than ever. The military needs to seem strong and beating the Fireflies gives them a perfect target.”

“Real martyrs, aren’t you?”

“Levi,” Erwin warns. He quiets down. Luckily, Grisha seems to know the back alleys well enough to avoid patrols, though they do have to hide out to avoid a raid. One by one, they slip down in through a window instead of standing out in the open on the roof. Peeking out, Levi sees four people kneeling on the sidewalk outside a condemned apartment building. Soldiers in armor and face masks go down the line, testing them. They’re all shaking. When the soldiers get to the third one, a young woman, the scanner goes off. She’s sobbing, begging for a chance, she’s not actually infected, she swears, but her protests are ignored as she's given a lethal injection. The fourth one looks like he might piss himself. He tries to run and is shot down before making it to the next building. While the soldiers are distracted, the group makes their way past through the alley, getting a few blocks down before Grisha stumbles.

Erwin sounds concerned. “Are you going to make the trip?”

“I’m fine. We’re not much farther.” As if to enforce the urgency, an announcement is broadcasted.

 

_“Attention. Curfew is now in full effect. Anyone caught outside without proper authorization will be arrested and prosecuted.”_

 

Mike curses, “shit, is is six already? We need to hurry it up.”

A thought comes to him and he’s annoyed at himself for not asking earlier. “What are we smuggling anyway?”

Grisha lets out what almost sounds like a laugh. “It’s easier to show you.”

Even shot, he leads them smoothly to his hideout. They unlock a back door held back with an old bike lock and go up the stairs through a kitchen. They must be close because Grisha finally lets himself fall upon opening the door. Before he hits the ground, Mike goes to help him up and is rewarded for his troubles by a furious yell of, “Get the hell away from him!”

A man launches himself at Mike only to be taken down and slammed to the ground in an instant. He struggles against the hold and grabs for the knife he dropped only to stop when Grisha says, “let him go, Mike.”

The Firefly is standing upright as best he can now, helped by Erwin into leaning against the counter in the room which must have been a bakery before. The man, or rather the boy, looks at Grisha incredulously. Seeming unaffected by the tackle, he grabs Mike’s offered hand to stand and brush off his jeans. He’s young, with eyes so bright and green it’s hard to look for too long. Tall with messy dark hair brushing his ears and long sleeves even in this heat, he watches as the boy tucks the switchblade back into the pocket of his pants. Levi is at a loss to explain his presence here. Before he can ask, the boy rushes over to Grisha, worry clearly displayed. “Are you okay?” As he lifts the doctor up to lean back against the counter he sees the wound soon enough, “what the fuck happened to you? Is wasn’t these guys, right?”

Grisha reprimands, “Language.”

The boy rolls his eyes as if the nagging means he’s okay. “Shit, yeah, sorry.”

Mr. Firefly tries to reassure him. “It wasn’t them. But don’t worry, this is fixable.”

Levi tunes out their chatter and looks at Mike standing next to him. “A little young for a Firefly, don’t you think?”

Mike laughs, “fierce enough to be one though.”

Levi tilts his head in consideration. “You took him down easy enough.”

“I said fierce, not skilled.”

“Ah.” As Levi falls quiet, he realizes that the others have stopped talking as well. He turns to see that the kid’s face has heated while he must have been listening to them. His fists are clenched and he looks like he’s about to protest the evaluation of his fighting skills but Grisha cuts him off. “They’re going to help us.”

The boy looks at the three of them, studying them and appearing doubtful and then back at Grisha and his wound. He considers, and then asks, “So when are we leaving?”

“I won’t be.”

Shock is written all over his face before he settles. Decision made, his voice is firm. “Well, then I’m staying.”

Grisha is angry now. He grabs onto the kid’s arms and shakes him. “No, you are not! You can’t wait for me. Eren, this is our best chance. We won’t get another shot.”

Several things click in place and Levi steps forward. This is not what he had in mind. “Wait. We’re smuggling _him?_ ”

Ignoring him, Grisha looks at Erwin. “There’s a crew of Fireflies that will meet you at the Capitol Building in the West End.”

“That’s not a quick trip.” Levi can see him weighing the pros and cons.

Grisha scoffs, “You’re capable. You hand him off, come back, and the weapons are yours. Double what Zackly sold me.”

“Speaking of which, where are they?”

“Back at our camp.” The Firefly camp? It’s hard to believe that they’d be secure. Erwin seems to be following the same line of thought.

“Well, a rule of thumb for us. We won’t do a job unless we know there’s a payout. I’d need to see those guns before we smuggle anything.”

Grisha sighs, and pushes his hair back, the blood on his hand leaving a red streak in his greying hair. “You and Mike can follow me back to base. You’ll see the guns, and I can get fixed up. But he’s not going anywhere near there. He’s my son and it’d be far too dangerous. I want Levi to watch over him.”

Levi still has to process the fact that Grisha even has a kid before he reacts. “Oi, Doctor, do I look like a babysitter?”

Even the kid pipes up at the ridiculous suggestion. “What, I don’t need someone to look after me, I was waiting here by myself for hours before! How do you even know these people?”

“Eren! Erwin and I have crossed paths before, he keeps his word. And Mike is one of his best men. And Levi…is a friend of a friend I guess you’d say. Farlan was a Firefly a while back, but he said that I could rely on Levi if I was ever in trouble.”

Levi snorts, “how many years ago was that? He wasn’t exactly the best judge of character.” Levi pointedly looks at Grisha but he doesn’t seem affected. “And when did he promise my help? Was this before or after he left your little group?”

“He left you too.” Levi turns away. He doesn’t need the good doctor poking at one more wound that hasn’t healed right.

Grisha continues. “He was a good man and you know it.”

Levi’s hesitant. He doesn’t want to smuggle the kid but he sure as shit doesn’t want to look after him either. It’s Erwin who convinces him. He puts a hand on his shoulder and lowers his voice to say, “Look, just take him to the North Tunnel and wait for us there. He’s just cargo. Easier really because you won’t have to carry him. And we need those guns.”

It’s true. This isn’t the time to be having hang-ups. All he has to do is drop the kid off outside the city and then they’ll get back what’s rightfully theirs. Levi doesn’t like having to be responsible for the brat in the meantime, but it won’t be for long. Over at the counter, he can hear Eren protesting. “Dad…”

“It’s fine Eren. You’ll be fine. Now go with him. We’ll meet up with you soon enough.” Levi doesn’t know if the man is trying to convince his kid or himself.

Grisha winces when he stands to pat Eren’s head and give him a hug and Levi turns to Erwin and Mike. “Don’t take long.”

He walks out the door to the street before stopping and looking up at the kid still inside. His eyes are wary as he pulls on his backpack, hands balled a little too tight around the straps before he relaxes. With another look at his father, he steps outside to follow Levi.

“And you…stay close.” The boy gives a quick nod, closing the door shut behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! A wild Eren appears! So I've introduced the world a little more here, but please let me know if there's something I'd need to explain more!


	3. Just Cargo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one, real life came in with a vengeance so I'm glad to be able to post this today! Also, I am so psyched to be writing Erwin and Mike and Levi all together because I love them and wish we had more canon interactions of all the senior squad members! Hope you enjoy, comments and kudos are always appreciated! :)

Eren’s not sure what he was expecting when his father told him he’d be smuggled outside the zone. He’s had few weeks to think it over, but all he could imagine was some kind of cliché like in the comics he read back in the dorms. Maybe he’d be escorted under lock and key through a secret passageway below the wall right under the noses of the military. Or follow men in fancy suits with lots of ration cards greasing the palms of the guards in a lowly patrolled area. Or be snuck into a van with a mask over his head and everyone would bust out guns blazing at the checkpoint. What he did not expect was following a short, angry man in a maze like pattern through the city with no apparent sense of urgency. After a few more blocks of them barely inching towards the wall, he speaks up. “Aren’t we supposed to going outside?”

He gets an exasperated look that practically screams, ‘what’s your point?’

“Well, why aren’t we going towards the wall? We’re just circling around.”

Without looking at Eren and with a tone like he’s missing something completely obvious he says, “Kid, we can’t just go waltzing outside the wall with only us. We need to get to the tunnel and wait for Erwin and Mike first. And to make it to the tunnel, we have to get there without being seen by patrols who’d like to detain innocent civilians like ourselves strolling around outside after curfew.”

Okay, he’s right but, “there’s no need to be a dick about it.”

He stops and Eren almost runs into him before he notices. His eyes are a steel grey and piercing. “What was that?”

Eren holds his hands up in innocence. “I said, your name is Levi right? That’s what my father called you.”

Levi nods and starts walking again. They make it closer to the wall in the next few minutes, but all of a sudden he darts behind a dumpster and motions for Eren to follow suit. Confused, he does. Moments later he hears what Levi must’ve already. A black military Humvee coming down the street, looking for stragglers outside to detain. He ducks down when he sees a soldier on top, scanning the side streets. Once they’ve passed, Levi stands up again and uses the dumpster to jump up on the lowest rung of a broken fire escape staircase above. Seeing no further instruction, Eren does as well.

They climb as high as they can go, and Levi bends down to pull up a window for them to crawl through on the top floor. Eren hops in first and Levi comes in after, closing it shut. He figures being a little shit wouldn’t endear him to the man, and they’re stuck with each other for a bit so he tries a new tactic. He quickens his stride to walk next to Levi instead of behind him.

“So,” Eren broaches the subject, “you use this tunnel to smuggle things?”

Levi gives him a look as if he’s determining the worth of answering him. “Yes.”

“Illegal things?” Eren wonders what kind of illegal things would be profitable. He starts thinking of all the possibilities. Pills, drugs, weapons, and booze are pretty obvious. But what else would make money? Music? CDs work pretty well when the electricity is on. How about porn? Some of the other cadets bragged about knowing a guy who had some and they even brought it in to watch before Shadis came in and busted them all. All things considered, Eren feels like he might pay a few cards just for some decent toilet paper.

He gives Eren a wry look as if guessing his thoughts. “Sometimes.”

“Have you ever smuggled a person before?”

Levi’s brows furrow. “You’re the first.”

Eren’s not sure which is better. Smugglers who are decent enough to not smuggle people, or ones who do it all the time and know exactly what to do. Eren settles on feeling relieved and he lets it drop, only to be surprised when Levi asks, “what’s the deal with you and Grisha anyhow? How come this is the first time I’m ever hearing of the head honcho of the Fireflies having a kid?”

Eren runs a hand through his already messy hair. He doesn’t notice himself slowing down and falling back behind Levi. “He doesn’t talk about me much.”

At that, Levi stops and turn back towards him. “…Then were you held up in some Firefly compound or some shit?”

Eren considers him before telling the truth. His voice is steady, long used to the reality of the relationship with his father. “Not exactly. After my mom died, he couldn’t really look at me. When we got to a safe quarantine he just kinda dropped me off at the military school. Said it’d be good for me. Haven’t seen him in a few years actually.”

“Shit, kid how old are you?”

“I’m eighteen.”

At that, Levi snorts, “since when?”

“A few months,” Eren admits. After a pause he adds, “And my name is Eren, by the way.”

Eren knows Levi is wondering if he’s already eighteen, why he hasn’t either joined up or been immediately conscripted into active duty. “So you’re a Firefly now? Learned all the military secrets so you can tell your militia buddies how to fight them?”

Shocked at the accusation, Eren retorts, “I’m not a spy or anything like that!”

“Then what are you?” Levi’s tone is telling. Eren knows that the other man can tell something is odd about an absentee father suddenly smuggling his son out of the zone. Eren falls quiet again. At his silence, Levi pinches his nose and sighs. “Look kid, I don’t give a shit who you are or what you’ve done, I just need to bring you from Point A to Point B.”

They both stop trying for any sort of small talk as they finally get back through to the apartment building that must house the entrance to the North Tunnel. It’s probably marked as condemned considering that it’s right on the perimeter wall, and it’s tellingly barren. Once inside the furthest unit at the end of the hall, Eren watches Levi settle into the cracked leather armchair by the window, and pull out a book. He props his ankle up on his knee and leans back to read. Eren can’t make out the faded title. The cover is well-worn through what looks like years of not so gentle use. It’s ripped in spots and there is a concerning dark stain on the back but the man holding it doesn’t seem to mind.

“What are you doing?”

Levi doesn’t bother looking up before replying. “Reading.”

Well that’s obvious. Eren rolls his eyes. “Why?”

“To kill time.”

Eren huffs and looks around. “Well, how long do we wait?”

“Until they get back.” Eren can feel himself getting frustrated at the other man.

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“Twiddle your thumbs, learn to juggle, take a shit for all I care, just stay here until they get back.”

Well, that’s helpful. Eren looks around the room, consisting of not much more than the chair, a lumpy couch, and a low table with jagged lines and watermarks. An empty kitchen with open cupboards and only a broken bookshelf in the bedroom. He paces around before giving up on finding anything to do and getting as comfortable as he can on the couch against the wall. It’s too short for him, so he props his head up on his backpack like a pillow and hangs his feet off the arm on the other side. His eyes close and he tries to relax by listening to the sounds of pages turning, but his mind keeps racing. So much has happened in only an hour and even though his brain doesn’t feel like quieting any time soon, he’s asleep before he knows it.

 

*****

 

_Eren is hot. He’s laying down in an empty bakery that probably used to sell scones and overpriced coffee but right now he can’t wonder about what that would’ve been like. All he can do is rest on the dusty floor and try not to think about how he’ll be leaving this place soon. He’s gotten pretty good at that recently. Not thinking. He can practically hear Mikasa saying that he’s always been a natural at it._

_It’s surprising how hard it is now that he’s actually trying, but Eren thinks he’s found the key. He starts aggressively thinking about something irrelevant and hopes his brain latches on to an idea and before he knows it, he’s distracted without even realizing it. Like the ocean. He’s never seen it, never even been down to the water at the wharf on the edge of the quarantine. Maybe he could see the ocean one day. Feel sand between his feet. He could touch seaweed, maybe even taste it. Things he could only ever dream of. He wouldn’t need to bring much, just his backpack. This little backpack that could fit his whole life. When his father told him to get ready all he found to put in were rations, spare socks, a comic he likes, some hair bands to tie his hair back because it’s getting longer way too quick and Shadis isn’t around to tell him to cut it and he thinks maybe the old man was right because it’s sticking to his neck and he’s so hot. Ugh. His hand itches to pull up his long sleeves as much as his brain screams at him not to._

_Okay, new plan. No thoughts at all. He’ll be zen. Just look around, and appreciate the store. Watch the dust motes fall in the fading light in the corner. See the shadows take over that dark smudge on the tile. Watch the fly fail to get through the crack in the window yet again. Listen to the voices outside. Wait, Eren props himself up on his elbows. There shouldn’t be voices. There should be one voice. Certainly not deep voices and heavy footsteps right outside the door. Eren launches himself up and stands with his back against the wall beside the door. He snaps open his switchblade and takes a deep breath. He has a knife and the element of surprise. He can take down anyone who comes through that door and hold off until his father returns._

_But it’s not a tall man with shaggy hair and a quick grin that comes through the door. It’s not even his father, battered and bleeding and falling down. It’s three runners with their jagged teeth, glowing eyes, and a chorus of their agonized howling. His knife is gone and he’s not in the bakery and he can’t run away fast enough. His footsteps are heavy and echoing through the cavernous building and he feels slow, and falling hurts but not as much as teeth gouging his skin and the screams in his ears. He’s panting, heartbeat thudding, and his ears are ringing but he hears the pitter patter of rain on shingles instead of a voice calling his name, telling him to wake up._

*****

His eyes snap open and Eren tries to calm his racing heart and disorderly breathing without much success. He hasn’t had a decent sleep in weeks. Running a hand through his messy hair doesn’t clean it up, but it does get some strands out of his face. He can see that it’s dark already, the perimeter lights from the wall’s edge spilling through the unprotected window the only illumination in the dark room.

He sees Levi looking over at him. He’s still sitting in the chair by the window, sharp cheekbones creating shadows on his face. He’s made progress in his book so Eren must have been asleep for a bit. Levi stares at him before saying, “you talk in your sleep.”

Alarmed, Eren sits up and asks, “what’d I say?”

Levi studies him, and then goes back to his book, “nothing important.” Seeing as he won’t get many answers, Eren swings his legs off the couch and gets up. He heads to Levi’s chair, hand on the back and leans over, looking out the window at the city not part of the quarantine zone.

“I’ve never been so close to the outside,” he says in wonder. “It’s so dark.” The rain streaks on the window and obscures most of the view but Eren is enthralled. “What is it even like out there?” Outside. With wide open plains, oceans, deserts, and mountains so high you can’t see the peaks. Despite not being a vacation, he can’t help the excitement running through him at finally getting a chance to see more than the inside of the walls. He looks down only to meet serious grey eyes.

Levi is twisting in his seat to look up at him before he shakes his head and mutters, “What on Earth do those Fireflies want with you?”

It doesn’t seem like a real question, but for some reason, Eren considers telling him. There’s something about the intensity of his gaze that makes Eren feel compelled to answer. Before he could, Erwin and Mike come in. Erwin wears a smile and Mike looks pleased with himself. A notable absence, however, is his father.

Mike shuts the door securely behind them and says, “sorry for the wait guys, there were soldiers everywhere. It’s almost as if they don’t like the Fireflies.” He laughs. “But Grisha knows some nifty tunnels even I had no idea about.”

Eren ignores Mike’s retelling of sneaking into the Firefly camp to ask Erwin how his father is. The other man reassures him. “He’s fine, Eren. He found one of his doctor buddies to stitch him up and he’ll be up causing trouble in no time.”

Eren feels tension he didn’t even know there was leave his body. He and his father aren’t exactly on the best of terms, but he’s still his father.

“Are you two ready to do this?” Erwin asks. The question is directed to both of them but Levi replies quickly.

“I don’t know Erwin, something about this seems off. Besides smuggling the kid, why would Grisha have us do it?” Eren supposes he gets why they seem so suspicious. Especially if they’ve never smuggled a person before. Unless Levi’s lying. Though he doesn’t get the impression that Levi would bother to placate anyone with a lie.

“I think he was planning on doing it himself before he got shot, and then Zackly was his next option. We already threw a wrench in his plans so now he’s just going with the best choice he’s got available. I know its odd, but they have a huge stash they’re willing to pay. We’re smart and a quick transport will have us set for months.”

Levi hesitates, his face showing the wariness of venturing out when something clearly feels off to him, but he nods in the end. “Fine, but we need to be cautious here.”

Mike adds, in the tone of divulging a dirty secret. “Apparently they have the Fireflies already in the Capitol Building waiting for us. From a different city no less. The kid must be something special.” He leans over to sniff Eren and the action is so unexpected and out of place that he doesn’t think to move away until Mike is done. He gives Eren an odd look that he can’t interpret but doesn’t say anything else.

Registering Eren’s discomfort, Erwin says, “Don’t mind Mike, he has a habit of sniffing people he hasn’t met before.”

Eren just nods, as if sniffing someone like a dog when meeting is a perfectly normal thing to do. But fuck it, the world’s not normal.

Levi speaks up again before they move to instruct Eren. “Ground rules: you listen to us, follow close, and keep quiet. If nothing gets fucked up, we’ll drop you off with the Fireflies in by morning. Understand?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m going to need something a little more convincing than that.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Eren holds up a mock salute. Levi just rolls his eyes but he sees Erwin and Mike smiling so he gives a grin as well before following them into the tunnel hidden behind the empty bookshelf in the other room. They climb through and use a generator to power a lift to the underground level. Lanterns line the way every dozen feet or so and everyone, including Levi, need to squat down to get through. When they come upon a ladder, Levi climbs up first to check if the coast is clear before they follow up. The three of them wait for a few minutes to let a patrol pass before Levi signals that it’s safe. Once they’re outside, Mike covers the gap of the hole behind them with enough cardboard boxes and plastic tarps to make it indistinguishable from the rest of scattered debris. After clearing the coverage of fallen scaffolding against the wall they’re almost immediately drenched in the downpour. It’s coming down a lot harder than it seemed from behind the window upstairs.

Erwin smooths his hair back, “Well the rain is inconvenient.” Levi and Mike, as Eren is starting to realize is normal barring a witty remark, stay silent.

Eren almost has a spring in his step as he follows them. “Are you kidding, this is awesome! I’m actually outside!” Unfortunately, his joy is short lived. He is quickly shushed by all three of them, and suitably chastened, he lines up in the middle of their queue.

They came out in a wide ditch, some kind of sunken area which is now a graveyard of cars and trucks that must have been on the road above. Their only way out is an empty trailer from the back of a truck and Levi leads them through it. But through either bad luck or bad timing, it looks like that patrol came back. Levi is hit in the head with the butt of a gun and is dazed by the impact. His hand moves to his waist where some kind of weapon must be hidden before he apparently thinks better of it. Eren makes to turn around, but he hears a man behind them order, “Don’t even think about it. Move forward, slowly.”

Obedient, all four climb up and out of the trailer to kneel in a row on the muddy ground. Eren can see Levi grimace as he does so. Mike and Erwin just seem resigned. The soldier who hit Levi aims her rifle at them and instructs, “Now put your hands behind your heads. Come on, I don’t have time for this shit.”

The man laughs, “Stop bitching, Hitch, you were just complaining about how boring it was.”

She sounds sullen. “Yeah, well, I can complain about this too.” She tosses a scanner over to him while keeping her rifle trained on them.

The man catches it easily and starts with Mike, pressing it against his neck for a few seconds before it beeps and checking to see that he’s not infected. Satisfied, he moves onto Erwin.

“You finish up scanning them. I’ll call it in,” the female soldier says. She leans into her walkie talkie on her vest. “This is Dreyfus in Sector 12, requesting a pickup for four stragglers.”

Down the line, Eren can hear Erwin offering the man a hefty sum of ration cards to look the other way. The man scoffs, “shut up. I don’t break the laws, I uphold them.” His sanctimonious tone does not help Eren’s nerves. Levi is next, the soldier making his way through them quickly. Shit shit shit. A few moments later and Eren still hasn’t thought of a plan by the time the man is behind him. His pulse is racing and he winces at the feel of the metal on his skin, still warm from the previous bodies. He only has a few seconds.

“Pickup is a few minutes out.” The woman reports, sounding bored.

Feeling the scanner on his neck he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and goes for it. He snatches his switchblade out of his pocket and flips it open and into the guy’s thigh before the soldier can react. The little blade doesn’t take him down like expected. After a quick cry of more shock than pain, Eren’s kicked down and a gun is in his face but Levi slams into the man knocking him off balance and the shot goes wide.

“Marlowe!” The woman yells before she’s taken down with three bullets by Mike. Levi has the man pinned and uses the gun still in the soldier’s hand to shoot him in the head. He lets out a breath and settles back on the ground.

Eren’s panting, not having expected them to kill the patrol. “I thought we were just going to tie them up or knock them out or something.” He realizes how naive that sounds after he says it.

Levi glares at him. “Not after you knifed one of them.”

Mike finds the scanner and announces it to the group, “so that’s why he smelt like that.” He holds it up so everyone can see it blinking a glaring red.

Both of the men head over to look. Erwin’s widening eyes are his only reaction, but Levi is overtly furious, “why the hell are we smuggling an infected brat?”

Mike has his gun pointed Eren immediately and his hand is steady. Eren’s pulse still hasn’t slowed from earlier and he tries to scramble back but he hits a wall and there’s nowhere to run. It’s not like he could escape these guys anyway. He knows this is why his father told him not to tell anyone but he can’t quite grasp how ready there are to kill him. Eren looks at Erwin to plead his cause when he notices that he doesn’t look mad at all. He looks thoughtful, and Eren can work with that. If he can convince Erwin, the others will definitely follow. Levi notices as well. “What’s up with you?”

Erwin laughs, “of course, it makes sense now!” He gets down to eye level with Eren on the ground. Like he’s talking to a child he asks, “can you tell me why Grisha is having us risk our lives smuggling an infected kid? Is he trying to kill us?”

“No!” Eren blurts out before trying again. “No, I can explain, I’m not even infected!”

Mike snorts and says, “those scanners don’t lie, kid.”

Eren struggles, “look it’s complicated, I, you see-“ he pulls up his sleeve to show them. He doesn’t have to look down to know the reason for their reactions. He knows that they see it clearly, mottled and swollen around a near perfect bite. Blistered and looking ready to burst. It’s hideous but he needs them to see. Mike’s hand is still steady, his lips pursed, Erwin is curious, and Levi looks away.

“I don’t need to see that shit, you better start talking quick.”

Eren insists, knowing this is his only chance. “No, you need to look at this!” He checks to make sure he has all three men’s attention. “This is three weeks old.”

Mike interjects, “everyone turns within two days, I told you not to lie.”

“It’s three weeks! You have to believe me!” Eren insists, determination in his whole body. His arm hangs out in the open the way it hasn’t in weeks. He focuses on Erwin. He, at least, seems less likely to be reactionary, plus he’s the leader. It must be minutes in a silent stare-off between the two before Erwin relents.

“We believe you,” he says, though Eren can see the other two really don’t. It’s confirmed by Mike’s protest,

“Erwin…”

“Listen, this is the only reason that makes sense. Why would Grisha bother with us unless he was desperate? Why would he be so desperate to smuggle a kid none of us even knew he had if it weren’t something big? The kid must be immune.” he clarified.

“I don’t care, I’m not buying it, and I certainly don’t want to be caught up in this nonsense.” Levi starts to head back down to the ditch but before he can go far they see a military Humvee coming. “Shit, we gotta scram. Backup is here.”

It takes a few seconds for what Levi said to register. When it does, Eren is startled. He almost feels like he got a stay of execution for the moment. Well, at least until they’re caught by the military. It’s no time to be sitting around. Mike puts away his gun and hauls Eren to his feet. The Humvee is only a few hundred feet away, it’s headlights cutting through the rain. Erwin yells, “run, Eren! Follow Levi!”

Relieved at the reprieve from being held at gunpoint, Eren does. The other man is already running and Eren sprints to catch up. He’s almost bizarrely thankful for all the laps that Shadis insisted were necessary as he follows Levi. He seems to have animal instincts to detect danger as he safely leads them all to duck behind cars and ruined buildings to avoid the lights and wandering patrols, out in full force now with two dead officers. They end up using a drainage pipe under the road to escape detection and avoid a firefight. They’re out of sight long enough that Eren hears one say through a grate above, “We’re being called back to the wall. Fuck it, just let the clickers have them!”

Simultaneously they all relax as the soldiers head back to the zone. Levi leads them through the pipe, wading in the water for a few more minutes until there’s an opening, right into downtown by the exit of the East 90 Tunnel if the big green sign is to be believed. The rain has stopped for a moment, only rolling black clouds and far away lighting showing off the city in intervals. As soon as they’re out safe, Eren slides down to sit against the storm drain, his hands in his hair. The rest remain standing, still on guard even this far out. He wonders if they’re still going to bring him to the Capitol Building now. He doesn’t look up until he sees boots by his own feet. It’s Erwin.

He leans on the concrete wall by him and asks, “what was the plan, Eren? After we got you to the Fireflies, what was next?”

The other two have their eyes on him as well, and Eren fidgets with the straps of his backpack under the attention. “I don’t know. My dad just said that the Fireflies have a quarantine zone out west, with real medical equipment. He says that they’re still working on a cure.”

There’s an almost palpable air of disbelief around Levi and Mike. Eren ignores them and then looks back to Erwin to continue. “They said I was the key to finding a vaccine.”

Levi huffs a sarcastic laugh. “I’m sure you are.”

Eren doesn’t know why, but for some reason that rubs him the wrong way. It’s not like he broadcasted in the streets that he was the ultimate cure for something that wiped out 60% of humanity. He’s not asking for accolades or a fucking parade. He was just an ordinary kid until everything went to shit. Where does Levi get off thinking so little of him? He stands and gets right in the man’s face. “You know what, fuck you, you little pissed off midget! I didn’t ask for this!”

Even up close, he unimpressed with Eren’s temper, holding his ground. “Neither did I.”

Eren seethes. “Well I didn’t get paid to get bit, you know.”

Levi looks him up and down as if finding him to be wanting. “And I’m not getting paid to deal with all the shit comes with smuggling ‘Humanity’s Last Hope.’”

Mike steps in and stops Eren’s retort in its tracks. “What if it’s true?”

Levi sounds taken back. “What the fuck, Mike?”

“I'm saying, what if it’s true? Are we gonna stop the vaccine from ever being made because you got a stick up your ass about it?”

Levi’s hands are clenched so tightly his knuckles are white. “And are we going to risks all our lives on the slim hope that the vaccine will work this time? It hasn’t worked in 16 years! Back when we actually had the equipment and personnel to manufacture it! What makes you think it’ll work now?”

“What makes you think it won’t?” Seeing Levi about to explode Erwin steps in. “Levi. I get that this is a sensitive subject, but this could be it. This could be our chance to not only survive, but to _live_. He’s immune, and he needs us to get him to the Fireflies. He could be the key to finding all the answers.” Levi falls silent in what must be tacit agreement and rubs his shoulder. Eren looks at Levi, confused as to why the man seems so against the possibility of a vaccine. But his silence must be the only indicator they need as Erwin leads the way to downtown. Eren follows Erwin and Mike. He can hear Levi bringing up the rear this time.

There seems to be an uneasy truce between them all. No more mention is made of the reason for their trek across what is left of the city. Through the tunnel, there is a sunken section of pavement up ahead that they climb up to reach the ground level above. The crashed cars and broken windows, Eren expected. However, he didn’t know that even the streets were cratered and the buildings weren’t intact. The destruction is widespread and even the tallest skyscrapers are leaning or fallen. Eren can’t help but ask, “what happened here?”

Erwin is the first to answer. “Back when they first started opening the quarantine zones, FEDRA bombed all the areas around them, hoping to kill as many of the infected as possible.” Any further explanation is cut off by a croaky scream that echoes in the broken city.

Eren shudders and hesitantly says, “It sounds like it didn’t work.”

“It did for a bit. Not as much now, but that one sounded pretty far away.”

Eren is not all comforted by that. “Are we safe?” He realizes it’s stupid to ask. They’re outside the walls in the territory of man-killing monsters. None of them are safe. Mike confirms it.

“For now.”

They pick their way through the remnants of barricades and climb over rusted, broken cars to make it to the Capitol Building but their progress is stopped when the road they’re following drops off into a hole at least 3 stories deep and several blocks wide. There’s nothing but rubble and shards of glass at the bottom. Eren feels stupefied at the sight. “This was the downtown?”

“It was. And there’s the Capitol Building.” Erwin points to a golden dome farther out. The storm is finally dying down but one last lightning strike miles away illuminates it for a flash before fading into darkness. With forward progress blocked by the drop-off thanks to the bombing, they decide that their best bet is to climb through one of the skyscrapers to get farther. It’s not quite fallen over, leaning on another high rise, but even so, Eren has to adjust his balance once they get in. He’s glad for his steadying hand along the wall when their group immediately comes across a body. One of the military, judging by the Kevlar. He’s been ripped apart, laying in a pool of tacky blood. Eren can’t stop staring at the way his jaw hangs irregularly from his mangled face and neck. He almost jumps when he hears Mike’s voice behind him.

“The body’s fresh. We shouldn’t stick around.”

Seeing that the floor’s exits are all blocked, they try the next floor up and see a dead infected up against the door. Unlike the runners, this one has fungal plating all over its face and sprouting from the top of its head. It’s spread around the body as well, serving as a sort of glue securing it to the door. Disgusted and curious, Eren asks, “that isn’t a runner, right? What changed?”

Erwin answers him. “It’s what years of infection will do to you. You guys probably call it Stage 3. Hearing about it in a classroom doesn’t really prepare you for seeing it, right? When CBI spreads beyond the brain, that fungus will harden and cover them from the head down working like an armor in and outside the body. If you find yourself in jam, you can always punch a runner, but you need to use something tough to get through to a weak spot on this guy here. We call them clickers.”

“But…they’re blind, right? Can’t you run away? ”  
“Sort of. They see using sound. Like bats. If you hear one clicking, try hiding instead of running. That’s how they spot you. You might be able to wait them out. Of course, if they’ve already seen you, either fight back or run like hell.”

Levi pulls the clicker off and they head through the door. Most of the rooms are blocked by office furniture, so they try another down the hall. When Mike and Levi force it open on rusty hinges a clicker comes running out and tackles Levi. He blocks its mouth by holding its shoulders back, giving Mike enough time to kick it off and shoot it. The whole process takes seconds, and Eren is a little in awe of their teamwork. Mike helps him up, and Levi brushes off his shirt continuing on like nothing ever happened.

The infected aren’t easy to deal with. Millions, no billions, of deaths are enough to attest to that, but this crew handles them with a quiet competence and no wasted actions. With Mike and Levi out front, they clear the way as Erwin covers Eren. Luckily there aren’t too many to deal with. They need to climb up two more floors before there’s an opening to the outside another half level up. Mike boosts Levi up and the shorter man pushes down a metal supply shelf for the others to climb. Eren grabs Levi’s hands to be pulled up the last stretch and gets as far as he can to the gaping hole in the wall. The view is incredible. The rain is back to a light sprinkle, but the clouds have cleared enough for the ambient light to illuminate the view of buildings tall enough to scrape the sky in the distance, and the faint glow of that golden dome. He wants to tell the others to look and see how incredible it is but he sees Erwin and Levi crowded around Mike.

Erwin’s hand is patting his back. “Come on, it’s okay, it won’t take long.”

Levi even cracks a joke. “What’s the problem? Don’t tell me that the badass enforcer can’t handle this. I guess I really am better than you.”

Mike removes the palms covering his eyes. “Oh, cut the shit, Levi. I’m fine, I just need a minute.”

“Uh, is he okay?”

Three heads to Eren, before realization dawns. Erwin explains. “Oh, Mike’s fine, he’s just not a fan of heights.”

“Or how to get down from them,” Levi says.

Eren processes that. “Right, so how are we getting down from here?”

Levi walks over to him, even further to the crumbling wall than Eren. His lips twitch as he points down. “With that.”

Following his lead, Eren looks down as well. Oh. Hell. No. There’s a rickety old window washing platform hanging outside. It’s held up by sturdy looking cords, but Eren is hesitant to believe its viability. He thinks that Mike just might have the right idea. His objections are never voiced though. Erwin comes up too, directing his attention to the next building over. “Look, we’re just going to take this down until we’re level with that rooftop over there. A quick jump and it’s over. It’s not so bad, right?”

Eren gives a slow nod. “Right.”

Levi and Erwin hoist the platform up and gesture for Eren to get on. Seeing his reticence, Levi drops down first and looks up. “Come on kid, it’s easy. Just follow me.”

After a deep breath, Eren gets on the platform as well. Mike follows with a little coaxing, and then Erwin. Once they’ve been lowered to a level height with the roof of the next building, Levi gives himself some distance to run, focuses, and then springs forward in an abrupt movement before landing cleanly on the roof. He turns around and waits for Eren next, expectant. Right, okay. It’s easy. Eren backs up as much as the limited space allows, almost bumping into Mike, and launches himself over. The platform holds steady and he clears the roof with feet to spare, skidding on the gravel. A wild grin spreads across his face as he looks down at how high he was jumping. Levi calls over, “Let’s get going Mike, you don’t want the kid to show you up, do you?”

Mike flips him off and yells, “piss off!” Erwin and Eren laugh and even Mike reluctantly joins in. He closes his eyes as he takes a breath, inches forward, and then sprints off the platform and skids onto the roof as well. He’s about to celebrate his victory when a grating creak echoes out.

They can see the platform slowly losing its hold onto the side of the building. One of the clamps holding the cables steady must’ve broken, it’s sliding down in jerks and starts quicker every second. Levi and Mike yell out for the man left. “Erwin!”

Before it can slip too far the commander jumps up to the ledge below the roof they’ve all made it to. His arm hits the brick hard and his hands scramble to grab the lip but he slides down without making contact. He seems almost out of reach but Levi and Mike manage to grab an arm each and hoist him up to stop him falling. Erwin holds onto them and he’s pulled up over to collapse on his back. Panting, Mike heaves, “And this…is why…I am not…a fan of heights.”

Startled, a laugh escapes Eren. Erwin lets out a chuckle as well and even Levi doesn’t look as serious. They decide to stay and catch their breath for a minute before continuing on.

“You know,” Eren begins, “I know you’re getting paid, but thanks for doing this. I appreciate you guys making the trip with me.” He isn’t sure who the choices were other than these guys, but he’s grateful it’s them. They know what they’re doing and they’re trying their best to protect him.

Erwin looks over at him, still rubbing his sore arm, and gets up from laying on the roof. “It’s our job, but it doesn’t hurt that you listen to us well.”

Eren looks down and kicks some stray pebbles out of the way. “Yeah, well, ‘stay close’ isn’t too complicated.”

Mike grins, “And that’s why we’re glad you listen well.”

They relax for a few minutes before venturing downstairs to the ground level of the building. Mike keeps looking back at him though before finally asking. “So does Grisha really think you’re immune?”

“Uh, yeah that’s what he said.”

  
Mike nods, processing. “How were you even bitten? You must’ve been somewhere you shouldn’t have been to find infected in the zone.”

Eren gives an awkward laugh that echoes around the stairwell. “Yeah, I would sneak out. Military boarding school isn’t the most fun place to be, surprisingly enough.”

Erwin almost sounds impressed. “You’d sneak out?”

He nods. “You know, explore the city. I was in the mall when I ran into infected.”

At this point, even Levi looks intrigued. “That place is completely off limits. How the hell did you get in there?”

That is a story he doesn’t really want to get into. “I…had my ways. Anyways, one of those-what you guys call runners-bit me. And that was that.”

Erwin starts leading the group now as they walk out the lobby of the building. “I see. Were you with Grisha when it happened?”

“…No. I wasn’t. I went to him first though, after.” He tries not to think about his father unflinchingly aiming a gun at his only son. Only after being handcuffed to a radiator for three days did Grisha Jaeger relent and let him go. He can’t fault him for that. For all his father knew, he was a monster and he responded accordingly. Eren’s lucky that he didn’t shoot first and ask questions later. “I hope he’s all right.”

Erwin tries to reassure him. “I told you, he’ll be fine.”

Outside there isn’t much progress to be made following the streets. It seems to be nothing but dead ends, so they decide to try their luck in a subway station. Barely a few feet past the stairs, they come across a dead Firefly, identified by the band around his arm and the pendant around what’s left of his neck. Mike searches the body to find any more information, but there’s nothing but a bloody map of the Boston quarantine. Erwin looks at Eren and instructs, “Clearly this doesn’t look good. I want you to stay right on Levi’s heels. You do not get more than two feet behind him, understand?”

“Yes, sir.” He can hear Mike laughing on the side, and he looks to see if Levi did too. All he gets is a stern look.

“Joke all you want, but you better listen. I don’t want your death on my hands because you couldn’t be bothered to take this seriously.”

Eren’s face stiffens. “I’m taking this seriously.”

Levi shrugs his pack more securely on his shoulders and starts walking. Realizing that arguing would only prove his point, he shuts up and follows him into the station. It’s dark, illuminated only by the clip on flashlights. In the main thoroughfare of the station, they both slow down. A clicker is wandering back and forth, it’s body jerking as it wheezes and clicks. Levi holds his hand up to Eren and motions for him to stay quiet. He creeps up behind the clicker and yanks it down to stab it in the neck. With a wheeze, it falls down. The infected don’t seem to be reacting to the flashlights at least. Eren keeps his silence as Levi takes down the infected one by one. First the clickers, and then the runners, who still have their Firefly armbands on. He seems to be purposely targeting each one instead of avoiding them. Luckily they’re spread out to make it a little easier.

Any forward progress is marred by the crushed structure in front of the exit on the other side so Levi and Eren drop down to the tracks to continue on that way. Not hearing anything, Eren risks a whisper, “why are we killing them instead of avoiding them? They didn’t even know that we were there.”

Levi slows to down to whisper back, “it’s better if they don’t know we’re coming. If I take them out now, when they’re not attacking, I won’t have to worry later if I make a little noise. Avoid a fight when you can, but don’t let go of an opportunity.”

He sticks to the edge and follows Levi for a bit until they reach the opening of the next station. Levi kneels down to boost him up with a grunt of effort and Eren returns the favor by pulling him up. The shorter man lands solidly on the tiled floor and he gives a quick nod in thanks. Levi brushes off his pants and makes to head up the stairs to the station’s exit when they both freeze. There’s clicking. And it sounds close. Levi rummages in his pack to pull out a regular flashlight and pads up the stairs to the terminal above. There’s a clicker very close, wandering back and forth in front of the stairs like a deformed guardian sentry. They count together….ten…eleven…twelve…thirteen of them in the small space blocking the exit. How had they not noticed? Levi eases himself back down the stairs with Eren in tow and points the flashlight down at the tracks where Erwin and Mike should still be following and rapidly turns it on and off, signaling the danger.

Eren can see both of their heads slowing down and when they get close, Levi stops clicking the flashlight to haul Erwin up, and he, in turn, pulls up Mike very slowly. Levi holds up his fingers in succession to show thirteen infected before leading the way. The one closest to them has calmed again but there’s no way to take them all down quickly before the rest attack in an enclosed space. All they have are handguns and Levi’s knife and Eren knows the others won’t let him help with his dinky switchblade. There won’t be enough bullets to get through the fungal armor either. It would take at least three or four shots each. If they can’t go back, there’s only one way left. Levi tests it out, knifing the one closest to them but three more hear it and start investigating the sound. Everyone backs up rapidly to far edge away from them. Shit. That won’t work either. Still following Levi, Eren avoids the roaming ones and creeps around the stationary clickers before they make it to the other end. There’s a steel gate down across the exit, fixed with a lock at the bottom. Obviously, they don’t have the key and busting it open will make too much noise. However, there’s a gap above it, enough for two, maybe three people to fit. And what looks like a ladder. Erwin reaches up to grab it but the metal squeaks and the closest clicker turns to them. Everyone freezes. Eren doesn’t know what to do and he hates not being able to help. All of them are still in the oppressive silence.

He thinks that there are so many kinds of silences in the world. The silence when you’re pretending to be asleep, when each breath is steadily measured but your heart is pounding. The silence after an awkward confession, face red and throat not working. The silence of quiet enjoyment, utter peace in the lack of sound needed. And then there’s this. Hardly daring to breathe for the fear of being heard. Hardly daring to move for the fear of being torn apart. Hardly daring to think for fear of those being your last thoughts. And in fact, all Eren can think is: not again.

He misses the conversation happening around him in gestures and reactions. Dozens of plans brought up and shut down between the three men in moments, possible only through years of knowing each other's minds.

Eren only notices when Mike walks out. He smiles at Levi and grasps Erwin’s hand firmly before letting go. He even jokingly salutes Eren. Erwin boosts Levi up on the ledge and he climbs up quietly and then lays flat on top looking back at them. Erwin puts a hand on Eren’s shoulder to keep him in place. Mike is inching forward and then he picks up a stray brick in the rubble and throws it in a far corner. Immediately three clickers run over to the noise, the plating on their head not hindering the search as they try to sound out the cause of the disturbance. Eren feels himself being turned around and boosted by Erwin to Levi’s arms. The distance up is a lot further than he thought. For a short man, Levi’s very strong, his forearms flexing as he pulls Eren up in a moment. But there’s not much space in the narrow gap. Levi isn’t tall enough and Eren isn’t strong enough to bring Erwin up even if there were space. He’d have to use the ladder. Mike has crept out further past the ticket scanners, throwing rubble where he can to keep them distracted, but not too much so as not to cause a frenzy. There’s now a thirty-foot radius free of clickers thanks to him. Levi slowly lifts the ladder and sets it down as gently as possible and then he taps Eren and points behind him to indicate that he should drop down outside. He does, blinking in the harsh break of daylight, even the subtle dawn is too bright after the long night. His feet are frozen to the ground as he returns his attention to the gap above him, waiting for news. Almost a full minute later he sees Erwin’s blond hair and then the rest of him bring himself up. Both men now gesture to Mike, who is apparently still inside.

Everything seems fine until Eren hears a long, tortured scream. “Shit!” Levi spits out. “Run!”

There’s no more need for silence it seems. All Eren can hear is the hoarse croaky shrieks of clickers. He doesn’t hear Mike. They pull their guns but something stops them and they both drop down, faces solemn. Eren’s tense, only now hearing the guttural grunting and sick sticky popping noises. He asks Levi, “What happened?”

Levi’s eyes are dull, looking at Eren for a few seconds before focusing. “There weren’t thirteen.”

Eren feels frozen. Is that it? Is he gone just like that? Erwin explains. “There were a few more that we didn’t see in the bathrooms. He threw a brick too close to where they were hidden out back.”

Even now that the silence is no longer necessary, the weight of it persists. The three of them hold still for a moment, and even though it seems wrong to Eren, after a minute, they continue on their way. Mike is gone. He didn’t see, he didn’t know what happened, and it all ended in minutes. He was just there. Eren doesn’t even notice their progress until Levi prompts him to go through a side door of a brick building.

They come upon what must be some sort of museum. Oil paintings are hung up at regular intervals and military badges are propped up in display cases. He starts reading one of the placards. He wonders what the world must have been like to have all this history laid out to peruse whenever you felt like it. “Hey kid, don’t get distracted.”

Eren looks up to see Levi waving him over in the next room. When he gets close, Levi lifts a beam for Erwin and Eren to crawl under, but when Erwin goes to hold it for Levi, it shudders and crashes down with a loud bang, the rest of the debris crumbling with it. Eren can barely see Levi but he can hear the creative cursing which must mean he’s okay. He calls out, “are you alive?”

There’s some shuffling and quick cough before he replies, “Yeah, I’m alive.”

He turns to Erwin. “Should we try lifting it again?”

“I wouldn’t risk it. It’s been years and I don’t want the whole roof collapsing.” Raising his voice to call out to Levi, he says, “this way is blocked. We’ll try to meet you on a higher floor.”

Levi agrees and Eren can hear some rustling before it’s empty on the other side. His face must still look unsure because Erwin says, “I wouldn’t worry about him.”

“What?”

Erwin clarifies. “Levi. He knows what he’s doing and he can handle himself.”

Eren is frustrated with Erwin’s calm demeanor and what was originally reassuring is now rubbing him the wrong way. How can he say it so easily? “Couldn’t Mike?”

Erwin nods slowly, not rising to the bait, “Yes, Mike could too. But this job wouldn’t be the first time Levi went up against impossible odds and won.” Eren can imagine it. There’s something about the way he holds himself that seems to radiate absolute assurance in his own capability. But that’s not enough reassurance less than an hour after the gruesome death of another capable man.

“But how do you stay so calm?” He blurts out.

Erwin laughs and Eren suddenly feels self-conscious. “What?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just, usually, people would ask how I can be such an ‘unfeeling bastard’?”

“Right.” He’s not sure he gets the joke.

Erwin composes himself and replies as he leads the way to the stairwell. “It’s not that I’m calm, it’s that I can prioritize. I care about all the people in my crew. We’re family. But Mike wouldn’t be the first family member I’ve lost. He wouldn’t even be the fiftieth. And he died for a cure, Eren. He died for a reason. That’s more than most get. I’m grateful for that. I’m sure he would be too. When we get back, we’ll throw a party, we’ll celebrate him, and we’ll cry for him, but I can’t focus on that now or who would be left to remember him?”

Eren supposes there’s a sense in that but he wonders if he’s more in awe of Erwin’s compartmentalization or concerned that he could ever reach the same point of accepting death so rationally. His mother’s death still feels fresh, even years later.

It’s quiet between them as they find the stairs and head up. Erwin opens the door to the second floor and they are immediately greeted by a runner. Erwin waits until it gets close and then shoots it point blank. One is down, but they can both hear more coming from farther along. A few seconds later and they see almost a dozen coming. Erwin tries to keep up in taking them down, but there’s too many. “Shit! Help me block the door! It won’t hold for long, but it’s better than nothing!”

They double back to the staircase, closing the door and kicking down some probably antique dresser in front of it before running up the next flight. On Erwin’s signal, Eren opens this door, albeit more cautiously and they both relax upon not seeing any more infected. They block this one too. Both of them test each door down the hall, looking for an open one they can use. Unfortunately, most of them are securely locked. The two of them finally get to a door they don’t need to bust in, but that’s only because another runner burst out from it, pinning Erwin to the wall. His gun drops and Eren can see him struggling, grappling with the infected to push back its jagged teeth. “Eren, run!”

Eren looks at his switchblade and makes a move forward but Erwin yells again, “Get back!” He starts wrestling to hold the runner to himself, to keep it away from Eren. With a burst of energy, he kicks off the wall and uses the force to push it back in the narrow hallway, slamming its head onto the other side. He grabs the painting behind him and smashes it on the infected’s head. The frame breaks apart under the force so Erwin uses one of the slats to stab through its neck. Neither had time to relax. With this runner gone, they could hear the others they blocked off banging at the door to the stairs they came up before. They both open the double doors at the end of the hall into an exhibition hall full of artifacts. There’s plenty of life-size mannequins in old military uniforms and glass cases of coins and letters to hide behind. Erwin checks his magazine and Eren crouches down out of sight while the other man plans out their next move. He controls his breathing as best he can, listening to any indication of more runners or clickers coming. A few tense moments later there’s the bang of a door breaking down and the pounding of multiples sets of feet. Eren’s knife is slipping in his grip so he clenches his hand tighter. Stomping is coming closer and he can hear them just outside before the sound of breaking glass and a sudden rise in screaming. Agonizing and shrill for a full minute, raising the hair on the back of his neck before it falls quiet again. There’s a regular thumping that has come upon the door they’ve barred and just when it seems the infected will break through, it stops. Erwin makes to rise slowly when the doors break-in, leaving a wide gap for a solitary figure to climb through. Erwin’s gun is up and Eren’s knife is out and ready for one final showdown before he recognized Levi standing there, calm as could be with two weapons in his face. He eyes them up, Eren peeking out behind the case and Erwin to his side, gun at the ready.

“I found another way,” he deadpans.

“No shit,” Eren breathes.

Even Erwin chuckles and puts down the gun. “Impeccable timing as always, though I could do without the dramatics. What’d you use to take them all out?”

“Molotov cocktail. I found it one of the bodies downstairs. But I could do without the commentary when I’m here to save your asses. Get we get out now before even more show up?”

Abruptly, Erwin sobers up. He stows his gun away again and comes over to check on Eren. After a brief pat-down, his serious blue eyes seem to relax at the lack of extra bites on him. All the same, Erwin seems urgent, more so than he has been this whole time. “You’re right. We need to get to the Capitol Building as soon as we can.”

Levi must have found a safe route out because he leads up upstairs without pause to the roof. The sun has fully risen to shine on their destination only a few blocks away. Levi lays down a board for them to cross to the next rooftop and gestures for Eren to go first while he holds it steady. Eren hops up and holds out his arms to keep steady on his way across. When he makes it down, he stops to really take a look at the view. He doesn’t realize that he’s been staring long enough for the other two to cross until Erwin gives a reprimand. “Come on, Eren. Now’s not the time to stop when we’re so close. Stay focused.”

A little bewildered by his attitude, he nonetheless listens and proceeds to let Erwin make the pace. It’s not long before they make it to the street and Erwin and Levi speed up upon seeing their final destination while Eren stops. A few moments later, they notice he isn’t following and they both look back. Eren looks down at the flooded area all around the building and decides that there’s no use hiding it.

“Okay, because it’s coming up, I just figured I’d let you know, I can’t swim.” Neither of them seems surprised, but they don’t look too happy about the setback either.

“Just stay on the right side. It should be shallow. You look tall enough anyway.” Luckily, Erwin was right. Even though the water comes up to his waist, it’s still manageable to walk through to the Capitol Building. In the early morning rays, the golden dome glows like a beacon. The building underneath it is huge; a massive white stone and brick structure with columns, wrought iron gates, and statues of famous men on both sides. Eren finally lets himself feel excited for them making it through. That is until they open the doors.

Lying on the floor in pools of blood are unmistakably, dead Fireflies. Shot by the looks of it. Levi lets out a heavy sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Well, now what?”

Erwin seems urgent, “quick, help me search them, they must have left a map, or a note saying where they were going. We can meet up with their party outside the city.”

Levi looks incredulous at the idea. “Meet up with their party? We probably saw what was left of their party in the station back there! Just let it go, Erwin.”

“And what, just go back? What about Eren?”

“What about him? So we didn’t meet up with the Fireflies, that doesn’t mean he can’t live out in the zone with his dad, does it? Come on, there’s no use staying, let’s just head back.”

He’s vehement. “We’re so close! You don’t even want to try?”

Levi looks fed up with the conversation. He reaches out to grab Erwin’s arm and stop his pacing, ignoring the wince he makes. “What is with you? I knew you had a hero complex, but goddammit, this is ridiculous!”

Erwin seems to deflate. “It’s fine, you can leave if you want…but I’m not going back.”

“And why the fuck it that, exactly?”

The man stays quiet. He only looks at Levi as if he’s trying to find the words to say. Eren speaks up for the first time in realization. “He’s infected.”

Levi lets go of Erwin and backs away. “What did you say?”

Seeing Levi’s reaction, Erwin speaks up. “It’s true.”

“When?”

“I hardly think that’s relevant.”

“No, it is. When?” Levi’s eyes are hard. His whole body is tense.

“…must have been in the museum.”

Levi’s hand is white around his knife, but it stays steady. “I want to see it.”

“Levi.” That word has so much emotion. As if showing Levi the bite is more painful than being bitten.

“Let me see it.” He grits out.

“Fine.” Erwin pulls aside his collar, where a jagged, swollen bite rests. It spreads out, further than the gap in the shirt allows. “Happy?”

“Ecstatic.” But he looks horrified. Seeing the look, Erwin grabs Eren’s arm and holds it up in comparison.

“Look at this! I was bitten less than an hour ago and it’s already worse! This is real. Grisha was right, he’s the key! You have to get him to Farlan.”

Levi backs away, rubbing his shoulder like a phantom pain. “This is your crusade, not mine, and I’m not like you. I’m not dying for this shit.”

Erwin cracks a wry grin. “Well, I am. Come on Levi, if nothing else, consider this a dying wish. The fate of humanity is far more precious than any one human life.”

Levi’s argument is cut off by the sound of Humvees driving up outside. It’s the military and a quick glance out the window shows that they’re not here for a social call.

Erwin reacts first. “You two have to get out the back, or maybe a side door. I can hold their attention here for a bit.” He picks up a gun from one of the fallen Fireflies. He’s back to his calm, leader façade. Shaken, Eren realizes that he’s planning to die, in his own way.

Levi sees his determination and says “I can fight.”

There’s immediate refusal. “I won’t turn into a monster Levi. I’m human. A flawed human who’s never going to see their dream realized so please, do this for me. Do this for Mike. Just go. Take Eren and make a vaccine. Live.”

Levi looks like he wants to argue but he knows there’s no time so he grasps Erwin’s hand tight and pulls him into a quick hug. “See you around, Eyebrows.”

Eren can’t watch. He runs with Levi and doesn’t look back as Erwin makes his final stand. His eyes are hot and he doesn’t bother paying attention as Levi leads him with a hand on his arm through the foyer and up the grand staircase. He manages to speak out.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t want either of them to die. How could we just leave him like that?”

“Kid, do me a favor and shut up.”

Eren shuts up and they are able to escape the soldiers with Erwin’s sacrifice. He can hear the sound of gunfire blazing for a bit and then total silence. They find a back stairwell and Levi tries to open the window, but it’s sealed shut. With a curse, Levi breaks the glass so they can get out while avoiding the military. He lands easily and then pulls Eren through. Eren lets out a hiss at the jagged glass scraping his arms but doesn’t complain. Levi’s hand on his wrist doesn’t let up as he drags him away. Even though they’re both going as fast as they can, they’re still spotted by the men standing guard on the outside. Eren hears the shouts and Levi pulls him around the corner and down the stairs into another station. Eren’s feet halt involuntarily and Levi practically growls and jerks him down. He does it in good time too, because the soldiers have gotten close enough to shoot at them. The stairs are broken so they land hard when they jump down, but it gives them a few more seconds reprieve before the sound of heavy boots behind them follow. As they walk deeper it also gets darker and murkier. Levi pulls out a gas mask and looks to check Eren’s before realizing he’s not wearing one.

There are spores everywhere clouding the air but Eren’s fine breathing them in. Levi’s eyes widen from their narrowed gaze and Eren guesses that it’s about as close to surprise as he’ll ever see. “How are you breathing this stuff?”

Eren tries again to tell him. “I wasn’t lying. I can’t get infected.”

The fog of spores lends a lack of visibility that they’re able to use to escape detection. Eventually, the soldiers get bored with not seeing anything and they retreat back the way they came. Levi and Eren finally stand up and turn on their flashlights to make their way out. Progress is impeded by a further part of the station being flooded as well. Levi looks up and Eren says in apology, “still can’t swim.”

With a short nod, Levi slides himself into the water and then gestures for him. “Come on, get in and hold onto the rail here.”

Eren slides in like Levi but can’t stop himself from instinctively grabbing onto the man in his panic at not feeling the bottom with his feet. Levi tenses and then lets out a breath and maneuvers Eren to float on his back. He wraps an arm around Eren’s chest and starts treading backward. “Just keep kicking.”

It takes work for him to unclench his legs but he can feel Levi keeping his head above water and he knows he’ll sink if he doesn’t so he forces himself to kick and rely on the other man to keep him safe. Eventually, they reach the next exit and Eren practically climbs on top of Levi to get out of the water as quickly as possible. Levi graciously props him up and climbs up behind him. They walk past another one of those creepy fungal flowers, it’s red pistils almost brushing Eren’s leg. Levi makes a wide berth. He’s wearing the mask still but you can’t be too cautious around the plant that makes the spores.

When they finally come out into daylight and fresh air Levi whips off the gas mask and walks heavily to sits on the hood of a broken down, busted car with what looks like the weight of the world on his shoulders. His shoulders are hunched, and he looks deep in thought. Eren shuffles his feet before hesitantly speaking.

“I’m sorry about Erwin and Mike,” he starts.

Levi cuts him off. “I know you are, but that doesn’t change things, does it?”

Eren gapes a little at the brutal statement, but he can’t refute it. It’s his fault they’re dead. He drops his gaze but looks up when Levi continues. “So here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re not going to bring them up again. Your false sympathy over people you barely even knew isn’t going to help. You don’t have to know about me and I don’t have to know about you. We are strangers and when this job is done, we’ll be nothing. No one else needs to know about you or your…condition. They’ll either think you’re crazy or try to kill you. So just keep quiet and follow my lead. Is that understood?”

Eren can barely muster a mumble. “Yeah, I got it.”

“What was that?” His eyes were sharp again, piercing.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now, I have a friend a few miles north of here, they owe me a few favors for all the shit they’ve put me through, and they might be able to get us a car. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...full disclosure: it had to happen. But I swear I love Erwin and Mike. I also love Izzy...I guess that means I should stay away from loving these characters, huh? 
> 
> Runner: 
> 
> runners-the-last-of-us-38.9_thumb.jpg 
> 
> Clicker: 
> 
> 972069b61eef1eed0bdfab7adee29211.jpg


	4. Visiting a Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...hi. It's been a while, and certainly longer than I intended to post this one! Orz...Please forgive me! But going forward, while I'll always try to post regularly, I can't always guarantee the same wait time between chapters. Rest assured though, I have no intention of giving up this story. I have tons of ideas that I want to write so I won't leave you hanging :)
> 
> On another note, a show of hands for who guessed who the friend is? Is anyone surprised?
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!

After the night they had, their luck holds surprisingly well getting out the city. It’s no longer close quarters confining them with broken buildings and military might. The highways are clearer, though still scattered with cars to weave around. What’s absent, is the infected. Maybe they only stayed in populated areas? But that doesn’t make sense. Their group found them in an abandoned subway. Eren feet slow at the thought that all the infected they encountered weren’t always like that, but that they were the soldiers and civilians who failed to get away. Should he be thankful that Erwin and Mike chose to die rather than become the reason for someone else’s death? 

 

Everyone had fought so hard not to fall, and what did he do? Eren hid, like a coward. He went to a military school, how hard would it have been to grab one of the guns on the body of a soldier and try to help? And his indecision cost Levi two close friends. Regardless of the fact that he didn’t intentionally throw them at the infected, he might as well have. The thought keeps his hands tense and his head down as the sun beats down on them. 

 

About a mile outside the city proper, Levi deems it safe enough to rest for a bit and bandage Eren’s arm. He’s surprised that he didn’t remember, but looking at the lines gouging his upper arms, he feels the dull throbbing of his shirt rubbing against the wounds and he hisses when Levi wraps some clean cloth around it. Luckily the glass didn’t get his infected arm; his right looks fine, but the left one is cut to hell. Levi gives it one last firm tug before looking up at Eren. “Are you all right, kid?”

 

Throat suddenly tight, Eren forces out an “I’m fine.” That seems to satisfy Levi because he starts putting the supplies away and makes to leave. “Actually,” Eren starts. The other man stops and looks at him. “Do you have an extra gun? I can cover you until we get to your friend.” 

 

“You don’t need a gun.” As if that is all the discussion he’s willing to tolerate on the matter, he finishes packing and starts down the road again. The thought arises that he could argue the point, explain how he’d more so much more helpful with a weapon other than his knife, but he drops the idea. Eren moves on autopilot, following Levi closely as instructed. They stay on the major roadways, where the cars are more frequent. 

 

“Hey, Levi?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Why can’t we use these cars?” 

 

Levi looks around as if just noticing. “These cars?”

 

“Well, you said that we have to see your friend to get a car, but why can we use these?”

 

“I’m not sure how much you know about cars, but I’m guessing it’s not much. Cars need regular use to function. You can’t just leave them untouched and exposed to the elements for over a decade and expect them to work perfectly. Hanji is the only one I know to have all the parts to be able to fashion one. And if not, they know where to find them.” 

 

“Oh. That makes sense.” Eren can’t help but want to fill the silence again, even though Levi seems perfectly content not to talk. The slow trudge they make to wherever this mysterious Hanji lives only reminds him of how tired he is. 

 

They pulled an all-nighter and Levi’s probably as exhausted as him but Eren understands the necessity of getting to a safe point with Levi’s friend before stopping to rest. It takes until the sun starts its descent before Levi recognizes the area as them being close enough to the town to get off the road. He climbs over the steel barrier into the wooded area beside them. 

 

Eren hops over the low fencing as well but quickly falls behind Levi’s pace. He can’t help but be entranced looking at the trees and plants growing freely, and not through gaps in the pavement. The sun is setting, casting golden rays filtering through the leaves in the trees. The soil is softer than pavement under his feet and he bounces a few times in place to get a feel for it. He’s so consumed in testing out the area that he doesn’t notice Levi, far ahead at this point, turned around and waiting for him. When he does realize, he jerks and hurries to catch up, but there’s no reprimand coming. Instead, there’s a question. “Is this your first time in the woods?”

 

Eren thinks back. “Probably not. It’s just the first time I remember. I lived out in the country when I was younger, but I can only really remember the quarantines.” 

 

Levi nods and then continues the hike up to a water tower at the edge of a town. There’s metal fencing reaching at least nine feet with no gaps to utilize. With no visible openings, Levi gets up close to the wall and kneels before looking at Eren expectantly. At his obvious confusion, he explains, “I’m going to boost you up, see if you can get the door open from inside.”

 

Eren scratches the back of his head. “Are you sure you don’t want me to boost you?” He gestures to Levi’s smaller stature. “I’m strong enough.” 

 

Levi gives a look that says exactly what he thinks about that idea so Eren shrugs and backs up a few paces. “Fine, fine, boost me up if you really want to.”

 

He props himself up on Levi’s intertwined hands and jumps when Levi lifts him up. His hands reach the top with room to spare and he flips over the edge to land on the grass on the other side. Hearing the thump of his landing, Levi calls out, “do you see anything?”

 

There are some yellow flowers pushing through the cracks by the foot of the water tower and a raccoon corpse by the repair shed but that’s probably not what Levi meant. “Not here, I’m going to check the shed and see if they have keys or something.”

 

It takes a few kicks for the door to open, but it does reluctantly with a cloud of dust. Eren coughs and waves the air to clear it before venturing in. There aren’t any keys or wrenches or anything, just a lot of wiring, pliers, charts, and buckets. He gives up after a minute or two and grabs the pliers to dig out a loose brick on the side of the building. A few smashes of that into the lock breaks it easily enough to let Levi in. 

 

He gives a nod in thanks and then starts down the stairs into town. “Have you been here before?”

 

“No. Hanji is our most reliable supplier and they don’t trust us to transport the goods so we usually have meetups right outside the zone. Someone usually meets up with them every month or so. ”

 

“So then how do you know where to go?”

 

As if in answer to his question, a loud bang sounds, echoing across the empty buildings. Levi stops and scans the skyline for a moment and then points out a column of black smoke curling up across town. “Follow the explosions.” 

 

“It looks all the way across town. What if they’re gone by then?” Eren speeds up at the thought, not wanting to miss whoever they should be meeting. Eyes focused on following the point ahead, he doesn’t notice the wire in front of him until Levi jerks him back several feet and he falls back on his ass. His protest is cut off by a clicker storming through the alley towards them and right into the wire Eren almost tripped over. 

 

With a bang and a burst of heat, chunks of clicker fall down around them in a bloody rain. Somehow, Levi manages to avoid it all yet Eren is covered in grime. Of course. Shooting a resentful look at the other man, he pushes himself up and wipes his face on his shirt. It’s already ruined anyway. “What the fuck was that?”

 

“One of Hanji’s traps. They’re eccentric, to say the least. We need to be on the lookout for any more.” Levi looks around at the apartments around them before coming to a decision. “This is as good a place as any to check for supplies. Come with me.” 

 

Earlier frustration forgotten, Eren follows Levi upstairs. “Are you finally going to give me a gun? I can help, you know?” 

 

Levi scoffs. “No, I am not giving you a gun.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because I can’t be sure you won’t shoot yourself or me just as quick as the infected.”

 

“I learned how to use a bunch of weapons in the zone. Everyone trained how to use them at school.” Eren almost shudders remembering all the hours logged in the shooting range to get him to the skill level he is now. 

 

Levi gives him another look. “I said no.”

 

With a sigh, Eren gives up on the idea and shadows the other man as he checks each room, both for supplies or any infected that might be hiding. It seems safe, and while most of the rooms are cleaned out, there’s some rubbing alcohol and cleanish shirts to be used for bandages. One is intact enough for Eren to switch into, so he’s no longer covered in gore. He replaces the bandage on his arm and then tries the shirt on. He rolls his shoulders to test the fit. It’s a little tight, but doable. A most importantly, its sleeves are long enough to cover the bite. Eren notices Levi inspecting the change of attire and he raises his arm triumphantly to show off, but Levi just shakes his head and turns back to searching the apartment. 

 

Levi even finds a broken scissor half in a desk drawer which he uses to show Eren how to fashion a shiv in a pinch. “It’s not as sharp as a knife of course,” he says, tapping his finger along the edge, “but you don’t know if you’ll always have a knife, and this is better than nothing.” 

 

Throughout each of the rooms, Levi points out what to look for. Scissors and alcohol are great, but sometimes you need to be creative. Bathrooms for medical supplies, bedrooms for clothes and rags, and kitchens for weapons and non-perishables are obvious. You can also use shoelaces for simple ties, check inside hallways closets or living rooms for sewing kits, and baking soda to brush your teeth is something you don’t want to go without. 

 

Eren nods, absorbing everything he can. When Levi deems the place truly cleaned out he leads the way back outside. “It’s been over a decade. You won’t always find what you need, and a few years from now it’ll probably be worse. If we’re gonna make it out west safely, you need to accept what there is and adapt. You won’t always have bullets for a gun, and you could lose your knife. Ideally, you won’t get close enough to fight, but if you do, use your surroundings. Where you are and how you use that to your advantage can be the difference between life and death, not just the weapon you hold. Got it, kid?”

 

“Got it.” 

 

There’s a seriousness to the lecture that implies living through it rather than a pandering speech given to a child that quiets Eren. Another explosive sound in the distance breaks the silence. Levi sighs, “that’ll be Hanji again. Their traps spread throughout the whole city. Let’s go.”

 

“Why’d they trap the whole city?”

 

At that, Levi’s mouth twitches. “Because it’s basically only them and a few others living here. Our crew calls it ‘Hanji’s Town.’ Living here long term is…rough, to say the least. There are still a lot of infected to handle, so they protect themselves as best they can. You have to understand, it wasn’t just the cities that got hit hard, suburbs like this were the first place people escaped to before they realized how the infection spread. The whole place was wiped out in a week. But Hanji’s from here grew up here and went to school in the city. When the Boston quarantine was stable enough to leave, they checked here first. After a couple years of going back and forth, they decided to stick it out here and become a supply depot for us.”

 

As he explains, they make it through to the main street through the downtown of the city with Levi’s guidance to avoid more trip wires and the occasional debris hanging ominously overhead, ready to be dropped. He ducks under or throws bottles as necessary. Eren is starting to wonder what kind of friend this is that they can booby trap a whole town. 

 

He also wonders what sort of person this friend could be. A friend that Levi could drop in on and ask for a car, with the full expectation of getting one. When that is a commodity rarely seen outside of organized militias now. Eren’s caught up in exploring this place that Levi’s friend as claimed as their own, “Hanji’s Town.” His eye catches a large board in the middle of the street proclaiming:

 

 

MANDATORY EVACUATION NOTICE

 

ALL RESIDENTS OF **AMHERST** COUNTY AND ALL OUTLYING AREAS ARE REQUIRED TO EVACUATE BY [ **8:00PM 10/17/18** ]

 

PLEASE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF DESIGNATED AUTHORITIES

 

ALL EVACUEES WILL BE ASKED TO PRESENT IDENTIFICATION AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO ONSITE MEDICAL TESTING

 

ANY EVACUEES RESISTING OFFICIAL DIRECTIVES WILL BE FORCIBLY DETAINED

 

 

“Evacuate? Evacuate to where?”

 

Levi looks over to see what prompted the question. “Where do you think? Quarantine zones. Some places got a heads up before the infection showed up. Though it didn’t help these guys. The warning came a little too late.”

 

Eren thinks about that. Suddenly thinking that you need to evacuate, and grabbing all your things and family, only to realize that it didn’t matter. He couldn’t imagine. He can’t remember much of when his family left Montana, but they must have been terrified. All he can really remember is growing up in the zones. 

 

As they get closer to the original plume of smoke, Levi instructs him, “Now Hanji is very.…excitable. They’re going to want to be asking you about a million or two questions about everything, or want to show you their experiments, but for the love of god, do not encourage them. That’s the last thing we need. Just let me do the talking and do not grab anything or show any interest, got it?” Levi’s cautionary tone puts Eren on guard on what kind of crazy this friend might be. 

 

“What kind of experiments are you talking about?”

 

“What else? They’ve been obsessed with-“ but the rest of his words are cut off when he opens the door, and the rope on the floor drags him up to hang from the ceiling upside down by his leg. “Fucking Hanji!” he yells. 

 

Eren is slow following him in. Levi already ran into one, who knows how many other traps might lie in wait? When nothing happens after he creeps through the doorway, he lets himself relax a little and think about how to get Levi down. The poor man is hanging by ankle higher than even Eren can reach. It looks like the counterweight is a fridge set on a table across the room so Eren scrambles up to use his switchblade and cut the rope. It’s slow going, so he makes sure to toss out a reminder, “If I had a gun or a real knife, this might be going a little quicker!”

 

Levi, now spinning in a slow circle on the rope, has his reply cut off by what he sees behind Eren. “Infected behind you! Double time, kid! Get me down!

 

Despite his urgency to be dropped from where he’s hanging, Levi manages just fine shooting at several moving targets running toward him with hostile intent. His eyes are narrowed even further in concentration to make every limited bullet count. Eren’s counted seven already. He looks away and trusts that Levi can take care of himself while he works on the rope, which has to have been made of steel for all the progress he’s making. He’s so focused on sawing through that he doesn’t notice the danger until he hears Levi’s yell.

 

He looks up only to have his vision disoriented as his feet are pulled right out from underneath him and off the table. His knee smarts on the edge as a runner grabs at him. Levi’s been taking down each one as they came, so he must have not had a good shot with Eren standing in the way. It’s gotten close enough for him to see its jagged teeth and stained hand grab his collar to pull him in close. With a cry, he turns and stabs the runner through the eye and scrambles back up on the table to finish cutting the rope. Luckily he made enough progress because all of sudden the rope snaps and Levi is dropped down to the ground on his back with a loud smack. He groans, but rolls over quickly to stand back up, and check his gun. He’s still a little dazed and it doesn’t look like he hears the clicker aiming for him from behind. Eren sprints over to make to Levi and take down the infected but his heroics are cut off by another person rushing out of nowhere and wielding a machete with enough force to cleanly decapitate the threat behind Levi. He whirls around, hand on his gun before recognizing the mysterious person. The woman stands tall with a wild grin and wipes the blood spatter from across their glasses that look more like goggles. 

 

“Hey there, stranger!” The woman calls a hand on her hip, swinging the machete around like a toy. “What kind of trouble did you bring me this time?” 

 

“Not the time Hanji,” Levi says, ripping the remnants of the rope tie off his leg. Despite Levi taking down at least a dozen, there are still some coming, and fast. “We gotta run!” 

 

Eren is a bit stunned. _So this is Levi’s friend._ She’s tall, with a high ponytail and armed to the teeth with not only a machete but several guns and knives all over her tactical vest and cargo pants. Somehow, this seems to fit the image he’s built up of exactly the type of person who would set traps around an entire city and laugh after a decapitation. 

 

Hanji looks over, curious and completely unconcerned with the incoming danger. “Oh, right, yeah, running it is!” She stashes her machete into a harness on her thigh and pulls out a shotgun before running out of the warehouse the way she came in. Levi and Eren are quick to follow. A few shouts are interspersed as they’re led on a path only Hanji can see through the town. She calls out, “jump over that step there,” or “watch out for the wire,” or “don’t touch that door.” And throughout it all, the infected don’t let up their relentless pursuit. 

 

“This is awful, Levi,” she pouts, “all these infected and I don’t even have time to run any experiments!” She raises her shotgun gun to shoot two more runners that are blocking their way forward. The heavy buckshot blows them away with no issue and she reloads in seconds. 

 

“Like that’s my fault?” Levi retorts, “if it weren’t for your goddamn traps we wouldn’t be in this mess!” 

 

“We? Oh, you’re a ‘we’ now?” She looks behind and slows down upon seeing Eren. “Who’s this? He’s just adorable isn’t he?” 

 

Hanji’s speed has slowed and Levi is quick to remind her. “Focus, Hanji!” He calls before shooting a clicker about to attack the crazy woman from behind. He grabs his spare and reloads before another shows up. She hardly seems fazed from the brush with death. 

 

“Right you are, we’ll have all the time in the world for that later!” She winks at Eren and then continues her dash through the town. It’s pretty straightforward until they get to a laundromat. 

 

There are two exits, which unfortunately mean two entrances for the infected to get in. And they do, flanking them in a way that should be impossible without incredibly bad luck. Eren tenses, ready to fight his way out, when Hanji lets out a yelp. “This is perfect! I’ve got just the thing! Levi, give me cover!” She yells and immediately starts rummaging through her backpack without a care in the world before triumphantly pulling out a bottle. Digging around in her cargo pants of a hundred pockets produces a lighter and a strip of fabric as well. As soon as it’s lit, she throws the bottle onto three clickers not ten feet away. Hanji lets out a cheer as all three light on fire and the two runners close by light up by proximity. 

 

“Yes! Burn in hell, motherfuckers!” she yells, punching the air.“New record, I'm really something! Tell me, Levi, tell me I’m really something!” 

 

“You’re something” he deadpans, using the break in attacks to dart out the other exit, Eren and Hanji following. Hanji takes the lead again, this time coming through a locked door and into a bar with boards across the windows and sturdy locks on all the doors. She lets them in graciously, like an invite into a dinner party before locking the door securely behind them. 

 

“Welcome to my humble rest stop,” she declares. “We can relax for a bit before heading out again.”

 

Eren looks around, taking in the supplies stocked up in every available corner of the bar. “Where are we going next?”

 

Hanji grins, “my safe house of course!” 

 

Eren takes another look around, inspecting the boarded up walls, spare shotguns lining the booths, and canned food as well as liquor on the shelves. “You mean this isn’t it?”

 

Hanji barks a laugh, “Of course not! It’s just one of my bases for if I can’t make it back. We’ve been collecting as much as we can, but feel free to pick up something if you need it.”

 

Accepting the invitation, he reaches out a hand to grab one of the guns but Levi’s sudden grip on his wrist prevents that. He looks down at the other man. “I said no guns.” 

 

Eren knows that he’s more experienced and every rule has a reason, but he’s not a child. “I can help. I told you I’ve shot a gun before.”

 

One brow raises in a way that shows how believable that sounds to Levi. “And I’m sure whatever stationary target you shot at before has prepared you for the infected. For now, just stay behind me and stay safe.” 

 

Eren rips his hand out of Levi’s grasp. “I got it, okay. No guns.” He digs around to find anything else he could take, settling on a bow he finds in a back office. Levi can’t possibly complain about that. He can stay away from the action and provide cover while hidden. There’s even a quiver full of arrows in decent condition. He and Mikasa used to hold competitions all the time to see who was better, even if that grew harder to do in the dorms. She always beat him in the competitions they used to hold, but he’s not so bad himself.

 

He comes out of the room to see that Hanji has enlisted Levi in repairs on the gaps in the windows. He’s meticulously focused on hammering on more boards while she rambles and searches all the cabinets behind the bar for more nails. Eren inches closer. “Is she always this wired?”

 

Levi finishes the nail he’s working on and sets up another. “Hanji goes by ‘they.’” He looks at Eren and takes note of the bow and quiver on his back. “Did you find everything you need?”

 

“Okay, are _they_ always this wired? And yeah, I think I found some good stuff.” There weren’t just weapons in that back office, and he looks forward to trying what he found. 

 

Levi snorts. “Hanji is fueled by an unmatched and limitless power source that would sustain the world if it weren’t crammed in that big brain.”

 

Hanji turns from their futile effort to find more nails. “Levi, I heard that! I think I’m finally growing on you, you little grump!” They grin, and then suddenly all that energy and attention is directed at Eren. “So, do you have a name?”

 

“Eren.”

 

“Eren? Nice to meet you then! I’m Hanji.” They launch themselves over the bar in a rapid movement and hold out their hand to shake. “So what are you doing here with Levi?”

 

_What indeed?_ He looks to Levi to find some kind of answer, but he can’t read the right one from his stern expression. Hanji nudges him, “do you need permission?”

 

Levi sighs, “it’s kind of a long story, let’s get to your safe house first.”

 

They shrug. “Whatever floats your boat. You all finished here, hun?” 

 

It takes a few minutes for Eren to realize that they’re talking to him. “Huh?” He checks to make sure that everything’s secure in his bag. “Uh, yeah. All good.”

 

“Great! We don’t know if those suckers have calmed down yet or not, so stay close!”

 

Eren nods, his hands holding the straps of his pack securely. “I’ll stay close.”

 

Hanji ushers them out the door and locks it with the key hanging on a string right beside the door. At Eren’s look, they grin. “No point in leaving it where it can get lost. And no infected has demonstrated the necessary dexterity to unlock a door.” 

 

“Have you tested it or something?” And, oh, he’s starting to get now why Levi had said not to ask because if Hanji had seemed excitable before, it’s nothing to the glow in their eyes at his question. 

 

“I knew you were a curious mind! Come on, I’ve got something I know you’ll love!” They grab his infected arm and he instinctively rips it away. Even though its covered and Hanji has no reason to suspect. There’s a heavy pause before they hold up their hands in surrender. Eren wonders what his face looks like now for Hanji to give up like that after looking at him. They wait for a moment, and then continue on in a more leisurely manner, with Eren and Levi a short distance behind. 

 

Hanji brings them into another shop where a crackling yell can be heard. Levi instantly is put on guard and moves Eren behind him. “More infected,” he mutters.

 

Eren, of course, just looks over Levi’s head to see what could be causing the racket. It sounds like an infected, but also…not. Hanji leads them into the adjoining space where they finally see the cause of the racket. It’s a runner as expected, but rather than rushing to attack any of them, it remains in one of Hanji’s traps. Immobilized though it may be by the sheet of metal through its torso pinning it to the floor, and the chain holding its arms, it still struggles to reach them. What used to be a middle-aged man lets out a hoarse, inhuman noise when they get closer. Its insides are torn to shreds and the side of its face is charred but still, it tries to reach them. Grasping at the air like they are its salvation only a few feet away. Levi pulls out his gun but Hanji stops him. “Don’t you dare, Levi! This here is my baby!”

 

Levi’s lips curl, but he puts away his gun. “Your baby?”

 

“That’s right. His name’s Sawney. Obviously, I can’t keep him in my safe house, so he stays here. I’ve learned so much from him, you wouldn’t even be able to imagine!”

 

Hanji’s is getting excited again, gesticulating wildly around the infected. Their voice is animated as they describe the discoveries made by this runner. After only a few months with it, they’ve been able to make more definitive hypotheses about the state of the infected as a whole when compared to past subjects. _Past subjects_ , Eren thinks dully. How many of them have been trapped here to learn from? It’s not that he pities the infected exactly. He knows the value of studying the disease, after all, that’s how any plague in history has been beaten. You can’t fight what you don’t know. But something about seeing it pinned, seeing what used to be a ‘he’ pinned, is unnerving. When he gets to the Fireflies, is this what will happen to him? Pinned or chained to the floor, used and discarded because his small life is nothing next to the cure? He can’t imagine it. “Why do you care so much? Do you think this will help find a cure?”

 

Hanji’s lecture stops. They look at Eren with a serious gaze. “I have to care Eren. We know nothing. Sixteen years, and we know nothing other than the absolute basics. It spreads by spores or infected bodily fluids into a healthy body. You kill them by penetrating the skull or breaking off the connection to the brain. Given time, the fungal plates will sprout on the outside. But this doesn’t tell us _why_ this happens. No one knows the intricacies that could lead to true discovery. That’s why I do this. You need to research. Find the weakness to exploit. If you don’t do that, you’ll die for sure.” They take off their glasses and wipe them on a clean spot of their shirt. “So many have died so that we can live on and remember. How many died before we knew how it spread? How many died before we knew clickers used sound to find us?” Their eyes flicker to Levi almost imperceptibly. “How many died before we knew they could evolve?”

 

“…Let’s go, Hanji. The kid’s dead on his feet enough as it is. He doesn’t need your lectures.”

 

As if a switch has been flipped, Hanji’s grin is back. “Right you are! To the safe house, it is!”

 

 

*****

 

Eventually, they get to a church on the edge of town, surrounded by houses. Hanji unlocks the cellar door and they all climb down. If the bar was impressive, it’s nothing compared to this. Ammo and MREs he expected. Even a stockpile of clothes and machine parts. But there’s also a workshop table covered in magazines, newspaper articles, and beakers full of jaggedly cut body parts. There’s even a row of Molotov cocktails on a shelf that Eren makes sure that he stays far away from. His curiosity gets the better of him as he explores all the stuff that Hanji has collected. Fingers running down the spines of the book on topics from fungal growth to crocheting. He asks Hanji, “you said earlier that ‘we collected this stuff.’ Do you have a crew here?” 

 

Hanji looks startled at the concept of such a thing. “I did once. It’s just Moblit and me now.” A sad smile crosses her face. “And whichever one of Erwin’s crew deigns to meet us.” That seems to remind her of something as she rushes over to a pile of ropes and restraints before pulling out a brown leather harness. She tosses it to Levi and he takes it without question. “Try not to give yours away next time. These aren’t easy to come by.”

 

Levi nods before strapping it on. There’s a portion with holsters for the chest and for the thighs and hips, with enough room to store several guns and knives Eren knows that he already carries. “Thanks, Hanji.”

 

She grins and sits down on a couch. Levi and Eren sit on the two chairs across. “No problem. Now, how about you tell me why you’re really here. And with a sidekick.”

 

Eren mumbles a half-hearted protest at the term that both Hanji and Levi ignore. 

 

After a pause, Levi says, “We’re looking for the Fireflies.”

 

Hanji is still for a moment before reacting with a wry smile. “Who, those crazies?” They ignore Levi’s pointed look. After a pause, he continues.

 

“We also need a car.”

 

They bark a laugh at that. “Well, aren’t you in luck, I actually have Moblit picking up picking up a battery for that hunk of metal parked outside.”

 

Both Levi and Eren get up to look out the tiny basement window to see a sedan parked on the curb just past the fence. Levi is the first to voice his doubt. “The green one that looks like it belongs in the dump?”

 

With no diminished enthusiasm, Hanji replies, “That’s the one!”

 

Levi sits back down. “So what’s the catch? You wouldn’t give away something that valuable without reason.” 

 

“Hey! I’ll have you know that I’m a regular post-apocalyptic philanthropist. How many supply runs do you think I’ve gone on for you guys?”

 

He scoffs at that. “You’ve always been well compensated.”

 

“Are you kidding? You guys have yet to get me that microscope I’ve been asking for. You live in a college town, how many universities are there for you to check?”

 

“You know it’s not that simple.”

 

“How about that picture of Shadis you promised? He was so handsome before he lost all that hair….”

 

“Now that’s just unreasonable.”

 

“Or even a piece of chocolate! I’m telling you now, I love you with all my heart, but I would willingly give you to the devil for a piece of chocolate.” They lean forward with that manic light in their eyes even brighter at the concept of the sweet. 

 

At that, Levi just stares at them. It persists far longer than Eren thinks he would have fared but eventually Hanji caves. “Fine! I yield, I yield! I want to know what’s up with the kid, okay?” 

 

Eren looks over to Levi to find his gaze already on him. There’s a beat of silence before, still looking at Eren, Levi says, “I’ll tell you after I know that piece of shit truck actually runs.”

 

Hanji relaxes back into the couch. “I don’t know why I thought that would work, but fine. We just have to wait here until Moblit gets back. Can you at least tell me how you two met? Or how about the crew? How’s Erwin? Did Mike finally pay back Nanaba? We all know he’s a sore loser, but she won fair and square! Oh, I was actually planning on meeting you guys soon, but if you’re here, you can take some stuff back right? Moblit found a practical treasure trove of those fifty-cent romances. I know entertainment’s on the low side so I’m sure that would make a tidy profit.”

 

Eren feels himself sinking deeper into the chair. He can’t look at Hanji. It’s Levi who cuts them off. “Erwin’s dead.” 

 

The tirade stops. Eren can almost imagine Hanji’s frozen face. It’s the same one he’s seen too many times in his life. The absolute rejection of the possibility and the terror of facing life without that person. It’s unbearable to watch, but he knows it’s even worse to live through. He wants to get up, to give both of them privacy to grieve, but he can’t move. He feels glued to the uncomfortable wicker chair. Only one word escapes them. “How?”

 

Levi shakes his head. “How else? He was bitten and he went out fighting. Asshole probably thought he was a heroic martyr or some shit. But with Mike gone too….”

 

“Mike?” Noting Levi’s lack of response, Hanji looks at Eren too. “Tell me later.”

 

Levi nods.

 

Eren sighs, “No need, I’ll…check out the upstairs for a bit.” He heads up to the ground floor and sits down on one of the pews in the back. His hands find the ring around his neck and he stares at it for a while, wondering how life got so fucked up. Then he sees the new bloodstains on his shirts from when he stabbed that runner back in the warehouse. He’ll never stay clean, will he?

 

 

*****

 

When he comes back, Hanji still seems lost in thought and Levi’s brow is furrowed in some deep thought that neither of them is privy to. Eren fidgets, before continuing to look around again. He founds himself by the work table again. The pages of scribbled notes must be the results of experiments on infected like Sawney. He pages through them, but can’t make much sense of it, either due to the frantic scrawl or the biology terms he hasn’t quite mastered. His father taught him a little of practical first aid and medical common sense but not much more than that. His explorations were meant to be quiet but something must have alerted Hanji because there they are, popping up behind him without a sound. He drops the notebook he was rifling through. “I’m sorry! I was just…I was curious about what kind of experiments you did. What sort of results you found. I’ll put it all back.”

 

Their voice is mild, “That’s all right, Eren. I knew you were a curious mind. What have you learned so far?”

 

Eren shuffles with the papers a bit before responding. “Not much, just what you mentioned before. But this looks like a study on how the infection works?”

 

Hanji walks around the table to sit in the seat across from him. “My experiments usually center how infection works through the various stages. We have six known stages so far, but not much specific information about each one unless you personally experience it and are lucky enough to live to tell the tale.”

 

“Six stages? I thought there were only three? Incubation, runner, and clicker.” 

 

Hanji expression slowly lightens in understanding. “Ah, let’s start from the beginning then. What do you know about CBI?” 

 

Eren is a little flustered by the continued intensity in their gaze. “Just what they taught at the zone.”

 

Hanji flaps her hand in dismissal. “Psh, those idiots don’t know anything! Well, you know the defecation really hit the rotary device about sixteen years ago right?”

 

“I know that much.” Eren leans back in the chair in expectation of the lecture Hanji is about to tell. 

 

“Well the ‘ _Cordyceps_ ’ in _Cordyceps_ Brain Infection, is actually short for _Ophiocordyceps unilateralis,_ a parasitic fungal infection originally indigenous to jungle regions, especially South America. A vicious thing really, with hundreds of variations that attack ants, moths, spiders, you name it! It’d been around for years, and most mycologists considered it as an overall benign affliction that Mother Nature created to handle population control. It’s a natural regulator to make sure that no one species with a high population density gets the upper hand over another.”

 

Eren nods. “But that’s just bugs, right? Why would it infect humans all of a sudden?”

 

Hanji sighs in a comedically dramatic fashion. “That’s the question, isn’t it? I certainly don’t know. But somehow, maybe an infected ant snuck in, or the _Cordyceps_ mutated to infect fruits and vegetables, or the spores changed to affect humans, but the FDA started sending out reports about unsafe produce and that the general population should exercise caution.” 

 

At this point, they rifle through one of the newspaper clippings on the table to lay out an article with the headline: **FDA expands list of contaminated crops. Massive recalls anticipated,** saying: _“The Food and Drug Administration’s investigation of crops potentially tainted with mold continues across the country. Initial lists distributed to vendors nationwide warned against crops imported from South America, but now the scope has extended to include Central America and Mexico. Several companies have already voluntarily recalled their food products from the shelves….”_

 

“By the time we knew there was an issue, people were already getting infected. Except, it only seemed like a fever. Maybe some new strain of the disease, but that was nothing we hadn’t dealt with before. So anyone presenting symptoms was sent to the major hospitals in the cities. Sometimes as few as a dozen were admitted. But that was enough. You see, this mutated variant of the initial fungal infection became an epidemic which acted as both infectious fungi and a plague. The _cordyceps_ itself was considered mutated by a certain virus, acting somewhat like a bacteriophage. You know that that’s a virus which infects and replicates within bacteria, right? It would take over the host from the inside by sprouting these mushrooms all over the brain and using the body as a breeding ground for more. It would use the bloodstream to get to the brain assume control to regulate the actions of the host. The body would be working as long as possible, but CBI would be growing like a tumor, spreading tendrils throughout all the sections of the brain. Towards the end of incubation, those tendrils would push forward and blind the afflicted. So you have this infected body with impaired thoughts, blindness, and losing control over their motor skills. And what do any viruses want to do?” 

 

Eren swallows. “They want to spread.”

 

“Exactly. Once CBI has control of its host, its next directive is to spread. Now, if someone were to take infected blood and inject an uninfected human directly, they would change significantly sooner than that ‘within two days’ restriction of getting bitten. But these infected move instinctively to attack anything uninfected. So it moves the host’s body with the control over the brain to spread the infection the only way it knows how: through bodily fluids. Other than spores, that is the only way. Now the best way, the most common way, is to bite a human and the mixture of blood and saliva would lead to successful infection. So there you have Stage 1: Incubation.”

 

Hanji pulled a sheet out of one of the taller piles to display a diagram of a runner. “Now here’s Stage 2. We call them [runners](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/monster/images/d/d4/Runner_closeup.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170624134214). They’re blind, aggressive, and still easy to dispose of. But have you ever noticed that when inactive, they still make noise, they still sound as if they are in pain? They moan, and writhe, and cry. The people inside, they have no control, and probably no complex thought, but they’re still fighting. On the other hand, it’s completely possible that since CBI doesn’t kill the brain, that the people are totally aware of what’s happening but are powerless to stop it. Of course, that’s negligible because they’ll still kill you without a thought. But take that few weeks or months, and turn into a year, and they’ll start one of the most visible changes. That’s Stage 3.”

 

Another picture is laid out, drawn in pencil. It was an infected person, but this time the fungus had pushed out through one eye and branched upward, covering half of her face. “You probably haven’t seen many, if any of these guys. We call them [stalkers](http://capsiongman81.cgsociety.org/art/photoshop-stalkers-last-us-1171796). At this point, the fungus has grown enough through the body that it starts to break through the skin, starting at the eyes. This leads to their diminishing vision and the development of what will become echolocation. You’ll notice these ones will follow you around-hence the ‘stalkers’ moniker-and they’ll be letting out these croaks. That’s the build-up to clicking.”

 

At that, Hanji brings out the third drawing. This one he recognizes. It’s a clicker, its whole head covered in the fungal plating. “Which brings us to Stage 4: [Clickers](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/monster/images/f/fe/Last_of_us_clicker.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170624134454). It usually takes a few years to get to this point. That plating takes over its whole head and the inside of the body, forming an internal and external armor. These guys are completely blind, but the mouth stays unimpaired so they can still bite. At this point, their echolocation is fully learned. And there’s no question that the fungus has completely taken over, no humanity left.” They pause, before bringing out the last drawing. “Which brings us to Stage 5: [Bloaters](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/monster/images/8/8f/Bloater.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170624134641).”

 

“Bloaters?” Eren hadn’t ever heard that term before. “I thought the last stage was clickers?”

 

Hanji shook their head. “Sorry, Eren, these are the real big bads. It takes at least a decade to form. You’ll usually find them in dark, moist areas like basements. You can see that the fungal plating isn’t just their head anymore. Its developed long enough to grow layers of fungal colonies all over the outside of the body, right down to their toes. They move slower but don’t let that fool you. See these markings, here?” They point down to some slashes drawn at various points throughout the body. “These are something we call spore bombs. Now that the infection is this far, they can create their own spores to emit or even throw at people to infect them. Really nasty stuff. If you get close, they’re strong enough to rip you apart, so if you see one of these, just run.”

 

Eren feels blown away by the concept of the infected reaching this stage. He swallows hard. “You said that there are six stages. Is the last even worse?” He can’t even imagine.

 

“Not worse exactly, just different. The last stage is the death of the body. Notice I said of the body, this is not the death of the _Cordyceps_. When the host dies, the infection can still spread. Out of the body, a plant will form.” They lay out the final drawing of a plant he’s seen before. A pale, bone-colored sort of flower with bright red pistils sticking out. “This plant will start to emit spores, hoping to infect more and starting the cycle all over again.”

 

They sighed and shuffled all the drawings into a pile again. “CBI grows most efficiently in dark, cool, moist areas, but it will slow down in bright, warm, and dry areas. So you want to avoid a lot of buildings and stay in open areas if you can. I can tell you everything I know and everything I’ve learned, but it pales in comparison to a true understanding of the disease. Of course, there is no known cure, though we can use gas masks against the spores.”

 

Their eyes drift off, looking into the distance before turning back to him. “I refuse to give up hope. There has to be an end, a solution, a way to fix this. There has yet to be a problem the universe creates that humanity can’t solve with a little work. We’ve even learned how to delay death! Don’t you see, Eren?” They give a little laugh. “I know Levi calls me crazy, but I can’t go on without even trying.”

 

Eren works his thought in his head a while before finally asking. “What do you think would happen if someone were immune? That’s happened with other diseases. Couldn’t we make a vaccine?”

 

Hanji’s bright brown eyes are full of hope. “Oh, Eren. That would change everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanji always seemed like such an interesting character to me. Not only do they have an unbreakable thirst for knowledge, but they also have this unshakeable optimism. In such a harsh world where the difference between life and death happens by seconds, Hanji works through the pain to learn and adapt as best they can. They also have an obstinance to do what no one else wants to. Study the monsters in their world, so that humanity can get closer to living, not only surviving. Lately, in the manga that personality has been tested so I'm looking forward to how they develop. But until then, here's Hanji, thriving in a zombie apocalypse!
> 
> Also, I hope everyone enjoyed the explanation on CBI. I tried to make it sound realistic, but who knows \\(- -)/  
> One of the reasons I liked this game so much is because it was the only zombie that I could imagine being real. Like, Cordyceps is a real thing, look it up! And it takes over the host's mind and then starts spouting spores and everything. It has yet to infect humans though...
> 
> Any thoughts, comments, or questions, let me know! I'd love to hear! :)


	5. A Learning Experience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! I've tried to get this chapter out in a timely manner so I hope that everyone enjoys it! We get some more Hanji time (and a little Moblit thrown in there) which is always a good thing as Levi and Eren take their next step to getting a car. You heard it here folks-we are almost finished the first task necessary to actually start the road trip!
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. I'd love to know what you guys think!

Hanji spent the whole night talking about their theories. How infection works, what each stage’s biggest weakness is, what experiments they’ve done, and what they plan to do to expand their research. Eren doesn’t realize he’s fallen asleep until Levi is shaking him awake. Eren blinks his eyes wearily, and runs his hand through his hair; it’s probably all over the place. He hasn’t slept since before they left Boston and he could use about eighteen more hours to feel right again. But a good night’s sleep is hard to come by lately so he just groans and lifts his head from the table it was resting on. His neck is still sore, and he rolls it around with some mildly concerning popping of joints. Eren tries to stifle his yawn as he watches Levi head over to where Hanji is to give them a hot mug of boiled water. He finds a similar chipped mug in front of him so he reaches out to take a sip before standing up. 

 

Hanji’s since moved to a different desk in the corner that is being covered in another layer of papers for the moment as more notes are added furiously to an already battered notebook. But they clear a space for Levi to set the mug down and take a large gulp gratefully. Levi goes back to sitting on the recliner from last night and cleaning one of his blades. It’s wickedly sharp, and longer than his other knives, looking more like a [short sword](https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-PC-Full-Tang-18-Ninja-Samurai-Twin-Tanto-Blade-Sword-Machete-Katana-BLACK-/292190302983) than anything else. Eren wonders why he hasn’t seen Levi use it before, as the man mainly relied on his knives and guns so far. Even if he hadn’t been using it, Levi is methodical as he wipes it down, not leaving a smudge or speck of dust left.

 

Maybe he notices the staring because Levi stops in his work and looks up at Eren. He’s waiting for some kind of smart remark but all he gets is the other man tapping one of his long fingers against his cheek. Eren’s confused but he runs his own hand along his face and then stops in realization, peeling off the piece of paper stuck there, probably by his own drool. Great, it’d be even harder for the other man to take him seriously if he keeps looking like a child. So Eren clears his throat, before speaking to Hanji. “So, you said yesterday that Moblit will be coming back with a battery?”

 

It takes a few seconds for them to raise their head, engrossed as they are in their research. “Hmm? What’d you say? Moblit? He should be here soon, it’s not often he spends the night out by himself, but the battery _is_ across town, so who knows?” They shrug. “I figure we wait another hour or so to go find him. Probably stuck in a trap again. Wouldn’t be the first time.” 

 

They go back to finishing their thought on paper before freezing. “Wait a minute! I think we’re getting distracted by the real issue here!”

 

Eren searches his brain for the issue that would be the cause of Hanji’s righteous indignation. “And what’s that?”

 

“ _Who’s_ that.” They correct. “You, of course! You have yet to tell me why you’re with Levi here. You look a little young to be running with the crew, but stranger things have happened.”

 

Hanji notices his gaze turn to Levi and stops him with a hand on his chin. “Oh no, mister! I know I’m not getting anything from him, but you can tell _something_ , right? I mean, I am giving you a car.”

 

“Uh…we’re going on a trip?” 

 

Hanji leans back and sips from their mug, steam fogging up their glasses. “I’ve figured that much out myself. Go on.” 

 

Eren hesitates, trying to figure out how closely he can toe the line with the truth. Hanji seems like a good person, but his father and Levi have both impressed upon him the need to keep this secret. “And…we need a car to do that?” 

 

A beat passes before Hanji sets down the mug and buries their face in their hands. A dramatic groan escapes.

 

“Ah! He’s gotten to you already.” They turn over the back of the chair to glare at Levi. “Levi, you’ve corrupted this poor boy, and now he’s useless! Next thing you know, he’ll be grunting instead of answering and trying to force me to bathe!”

 

Levi simply puts away the short sword in exchange for one that looks like its twin and grunts.

 

“See!” Hanji whirls back to Eren. “This is what I’m talking about! Please, at the very least, tell me _when_ you guys met if I can’t know the why or how or where.”

 

Seeing as there doesn’t seem to be much harm in answering, he says, “Yesterday, I think.” 

 

At that, Hanji seems honestly rather than dramatically surprised. “Yesterday?”

 

“No, wait.” Eren leans his head back, counting the hours. “Like a day and a half ago now.”

 

Hanji just stares at him like he’s under some sort of microscope, a fascinating puzzle to solve. Before they can wind up with another question that Eren has to figure out how to redirect or avoid, Levi sighs and puts away his supplies before walking over and pulling up a chair by them. He leans onto the table, his face close to Hanji’s. His voice is low, barely above a whisper but Eren is close enough to hear. Instinctively, he leans in close as well. “Hanji,” Levi breathes, “can you keep a secret?”

 

They practically jump in their seat, eyes alight, and simply nod several times. Levi’s lips twitch and he leans back to settle in the chair. “So can I.” 

 

“Ugh!” Hanji’s head slams into the table. “I don’t know why I try. Keep it to yourselves then, I’ll only assume it’s something _vastly_ worse.” 

 

Levi sips his from his own mug and then spoke up. “Assume away.” Eren looks to see if there was any trace of a grin but with no success. He was as unreadable as a rock. But for some reason, he was holding onto his cup weirdly. Pinching it from the top on both sides and not holding it around the body. Eren must be staring at him again because Levi looks back and raises an eyebrow. He hurriedly redirects his gaze to one of the diagrams in front of him. 

 

For another hour or so they all sit at the table. Eventually, Hanji notices his empty mug and graciously leaves their notes to find a refill. Levi even adds in some dried mint for taste. So Eren relaxes for the first time in a while and lets their conversation surround him. It’s peaceful, the bantering back and forth these two have. Levi will get up to turn off the flame of the gas lit kettle and Hanji will chide him for mothering them even as they make sure that his spot is the only one that remains clear on the table. It seems that Levi’s touchiness extends to the sanitary conditions of his surroundings as well. The way they act seems more like siblings than friends. They can read each other with a look and there’s a certain fondness even in their insults. It reminds him of him and Mikasa. They aren’t true siblings of course, but they might as well be. Or rather, Mikasa was admirably trying to take on the role of his second mother before he left, rather than a younger sister. 

 

Eren is about to ask how these two met when Levi abruptly gets up. The screech of the wooden legs on concrete stops his question. “Hanji, I think we both know something’s wrong. We can sit here all you want but that’s not going to change. Moblit should have been back by now, the town’s not that big.”

 

Eren finally realizes that it’s been hours, just past midday already with no sign of the man. Hanji fixes their ponytail and shuffles some papers around in a semblance of organization. A wobbly smile wavers on their face. “How about we wait until lunch, all four of us can sit down together? I even have SPAM, it’ll be a treat!” 

 

“Moblit’s either dead or dying. Do you really want to eat?”

 

That wavering smile fades and Hanji’s tone is solemn again. “No.”

 

Levi grabs his bag and tosses Eren’s over as well. “Then suit up.”

 

*****

 

Once everyone is ready, Levi and Eren both follow Hanji again. They lead them upstairs back to the ground floor of the church with the remaining pews that he sat in last night. Eren sees that the windows that looked unremarkable then are now shining from the light of the sun, drenching them all in colors of stained glass. He could see how such a simple beauty would have existed in the world before. It seems a shame that no one has time to appreciate it now. Hanji and Levi both hop through a window without bothering look at the sight. Eren sighs and follows them, not forgetting to close the windows tight behind him with a click. 

 

Hanji leads them back through the main street in the center of town to a library a few blocks past it and points out a gray sedan parked up on the curb, like the owner left in a hurry. “Moblit and I’ve been combing through the city to find any working car parts recently and we mark out a few possibilities of functional batteries, tires, or miscellaneous parts whenever we find them. I was heading back to my safe house to find something to open this baby up when I heard you guys start setting off explosions left and right. You’re lucky I came to investigate. But anyway, Moblit said he’d be fine here and that he’d finish checking the block before coming back. I figured it’d take him a few hours at most, but if he’s not here, he knows to leave something for me to find.” 

 

Eren guesses that’s as much invitation as any to start scrounging around the parking lot and side streets. He bangs pretty uselessly at an SUV before Levi wordlessly hands him a crowbar to pry open the doors and hoods. It takes him a while to get the hang of it, and with more broken glass and dented metal than anything else, he finally gets in. Eren opens the door and turns around to show off when he sees Levi already on his third car and Hanji busy in the trunk of their second. Figures. Seeing as they both seem to be capable enough, Eren takes a little more time than he intended combing through the insides. There are coins in the center console and a whole pack of napkins, a mini flashlight, and some menus in the glove box. But then there’s also a folded map that he opens curiously to see cover all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. He also finds a magazine in the back pocket of one of the seats that looks pretty interesting so he tucks it away in his bag. He spends his time finding whatever knick-knacks and treasures he can seeing as there doesn’t seem to be a sign left for Hanji on any of these cars. 

 

It takes about two more cars before Levi calls them over to a bright blue pickup. Apparently, there was a note on the battery under the hood. He passes it to Hanji who then passes it to Eren. 

 

_ Batteries here no good, I’m going for the other one. _

 

 

“No good?” Eren questions. “What does ‘the other one’ mean?”

 

Hanji pales. They run their hands through their bangs, anxiously tucking back pieces that have fallen from behind their ears. “Occasionally the military does rounds of surrounding districts. Probably searching for supplies, even though most are too stupid to find the good stuff. Not so long ago they came and got overrun by infected right by the school. Their Humvee ended up busting through the wall, but the battery should still be intact enough to take. Moblit must have tried to get it, though I don’t know why he wouldn’t have waited for me. That place is crawling with them. It’s a suicide mission alone, hell even with a group!”

 

Levi sounds doubtful. “Even if we can get in there, how do you know it’s still intact?”

 

“Please,” Hanji scoffs, “those military edition rides are like mini-tanks, it’s fine. But that doesn’t mean it will be an easy trip even getting to it.”

 

Eren’s not sure what comes over him but he insists. “He’s your friend, right? Then we have to go after him!” 

 

Hanji looks startled by his enthusiasm. “Sweetie, I wasn’t joking around when I said the high school was swarmed. Can you handle that?”

 

Levi speaks up. “It doesn’t matter if he can handle it, he’ll stay behind us and stay safe. At the very least, even if Moblit’s not there, the battery will be. Might as well try for it. Unless you know of any other reliable car?”

 

Hanji shakes their head. “None that I know. But are you really sure…?” 

 

In response, Levi folds up Moblit’s note and tucks it in one of Hanji’s pockets. “Which way?”

 

Helpless, Hanji can only point out the right direction and Levi directly walks away, Eren following close behind. They soon caught up to take the lead once more. 

 

Eren can’t help but ask, “So why would the school be more dangerous than other areas of town? When people started getting sick, didn’t they pull the students out?”

 

“They did, but when evacuation plans and triages were set up, most towns placed them around well-known public properties. Libraries, schools, parks and the like. All those people gathered in close quarters, when the infection hit, it swept through them in hours. But be quiet now, after we get out of this neighborhood, we’ll be close.”

 

The three of them get through the houses easy enough, though Eren’s hands are itching for a weapon. He feels sick of watching Levi and Hanji take down all the infected while all he can do is hide and stay protected. But he doesn’t have too much of an argument to make when the two of them are a well-oiled machine in taking clickers and runners down with ease. It’s not long before they’re crouched behind a car, taking stock of the situation at the school. There’s still a fleet of buses parked out front, staggered in a maze-like pattern to block a clear sighting of the school behind. After craning their neck to find a good vantage point, Hanji identifies the crashed Humvee only a few hundred feet beyond them, right through the outside wall. All they need to do is get rid of the runners first. Over two dozen, mainly adults, mostly in the uniform of the military that must have been overrun a few months ago. They wander in and out through the gaps of the buses, occasionally creeping closer to the cars on the outskirts before stumbling back into their original path. It’s odd, having the time to rationally analyze the behavior of these things, without them bearing down on him with the intent to kill. 

 

After watching them for a bit, Eren realizes that Hanji’s right. They twitch and stumble and even let out hoarse moans that sound full of pain. One is bent over with its hands on its head as if trying to relieve the agony of an intense migraine. Its face is twisted in agony and Eren would almost feel sympathetic if it weren’t for the fact that this creature in pain would just as easily destroy Eren as quick as possible if given the chance. He doesn’t see any clickers or stalkers though. Among the group, all of them seem to be fairly recently infected. This might feed into the idea that the further the infection spreads, the more likely the host body craves the dark and cool instead of wandering around outside as these ones do. Eren inches forward to get a closer look but is promptly brought back by a hand on his collar to fall on his ass again. He shoots a disgruntled look at Levi but dutifully crouches back behind him. 

 

Levi and Hanji both size up the scene a little longer to make sure they know what they’re getting into before they split up to take the infected down as quickly and as quietly as possible. As usual, Eren is Levi’s shadow, watching him stab or strangle each runner they come across while trying to watch his back. He works with a cool efficiency, dispatching every infected as they creep up behind them. But skill only works for so long before luck comes into play. And either he or Levi must have spectacularly bad odds because one runner decides come out of nowhere behind Eren to surprise them. He lets out a startled yelp and grabs for his knife but Levi gets there first, pulling the runner off him before slamming it into the bus with enough force for it to dent the siding. Its head is splattered open but Levi snaps its neck to make absolutely sure. But neither of them bask in the relief of crisis averted because that runner had already gotten the chance to react and let out a call to attract the others. More infected immediately come running to the source of the noise, and now Eren can hear Hanji using their gun to try and pull some of them away. One or two aren’t a big deal, but when there’s a crowd, that can be a whole other level of difficulty to handle. Levi looks around all the amount of infected before cursing and saying, “it’s no use, we’re getting the fuck out of here!”

 

He immediately gets up and sprints toward the school, dodging around infected while pulling out his shotgun. They both stand by the gate and wait for Hanji as Levi shoots the ones who get too close, switching to his handgun when he runs out of time to reload more bullets. Every second feels like an hour as Eren desperately searches the lot, only the constant shooting giving reassurance to Hanji’s wellbeing. It feels like days before they can see that familiar figure climbing on top of one of the buses and jumping from hood to hood until they’re close enough to drop down and run unhindered to gate where Levi and Eren are waiting. As soon as Hanji clears it, Levi slams the gate shut, even though they all know it won’t hold for long. Just in case, Eren helps Hanji push fold up tables from the triage to boost the gate. 

 

There’s no time to waste for them to catch their breath. They all race towards the Humvee, but the whole engine is inside so they have to search for a way in to get to it. Meanwhile, the force of all the infected has already started to break down the gate. It’ll moments before they’re through. Eren circles around the building and tries the double doors, but they’re locked. Cursing to himself he looks for any other point of entry and finds some windows that they can climb some AC units to get in through. He calls them over and Hanji scrambles up first. Eren makes to climb up as well, but Levi is bringing up the rear and it doesn’t look like the infected are going to give them time or space to escape. Levi looks back and yells, “What are you waiting for? Get the hell in there!”

 

His face looks furious so Eren can only nod and pull himself through the gap. It’s a bit of a tight fit, but he squeezes his shoulders through with a last desperate wiggle. He hasn’t even fully settled from dropping down before he’s on his toes trying to pull Levi through. One of them is on his tail and Levi fires one more time before almost crawling through the window and Eren slams it shut. They all let out heaving gasps as they try to collect themselves. They’re in some kind of loading dock or mechanic shop so there aren’t many exits to be worried about. Eren is about to ask about the battery before Hanji cuts him off. “The door, Eren! We need to block the door!” 

 

“Goddammit, seriously?” But he runs over to the double door held shut with a chain link lock from the inside and topples a metal shelf in front of it along with some storage containers and a work table as well. Even so, the infected are pounding away at it, testing the lock to its limit, their hands worming their way through the gap to get to the three people inside. Eren keep his eye on the door and yells over his shoulder, “how are we doing over there guys? Because I don’t think this will last much longer!”

 

Hanji yells back, “I don’t know!”

 

Levi doesn’t leave from his position aiming at the doors and windows, ready for any forced entry. “What do you mean, you don’t know?!”

 

“I mean ‘I don’t know!’ It’s empty! There’s no battery-like it’s been taken out or something! Maybe Moblit already got it for us! He’s probably the one who locked the door too!” Despite the situation, Hanji sounds excited at the thought. 

 

Levi snorts. “Well, that’s just great, Hanji! But that’s not doing us any good right now, is it? What the fuck do we do now?”

 

Eren speaks up in the small gap that the other two leave in their argument. “Uh, guys, that door is not looking too secure….”

 

Levi’s head snaps back to the door and Hanji peeks out from under the hood. “The kid’s right. Let’s get out of here. Stay close!”

 

“Yes, sir!” Eren gleefully leaves his post watching the door and runs after him. They end up deeper in the school, sticking to the main hallways from the maintenance and cafeteria area over to the academic side. There are more infected here, clickers mostly, so the three of them stop running and start sneaking past the classrooms. If they’re quiet enough, they might be able to get around the infected and break away to get out of this hellhole. And it works, at first. That is, until they get to another door blocked from the inside. It looks like a bike chain again. If Eren ever meets this Moblit, he just might smack him for all the shit they’re dealing with on his behalf. Levi just huffs and takes out the crowbar he used earlier to pry open the chain. He checks with both Eren and Hanji to make sure they’re ready for the shit storm that’s going to come when he breaks it. They both nod and he breaks the lock with the squealing grind of metal. 

 

Seconds later they can hear the clicking echoing across the halls and getting closer so they bolt through the door and slam it shut. There’s a lock at the top of the door that Eren gets up to latch into place. It’ll hold for enough time for them to get out, but no one’s going to wait around and check when the clickers could be slamming into the door at any minute. They’re in a gymnasium now, still full of metal barriers, and workout mats, and posters for looking out for signs of infection. The doors are shut tight but it looks like they can climb up the closed bleachers and get out of the window at the top. 

 

But their progress falters when the storage doors on the other side of the gym suddenly burst open to expose a nightmare beyond nightmares. A giant hulking mass of fungal infection. It’s every footfall feels like it shakes the walls. And when it senses them, frozen, it lets out a guttural roar that fairly screams its own sense of victory. _Oh_ , he thinks, _this is what Hanji meant. The big bad._

 

It was a [bloater](http://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/the-last-of-us/b/b6/Bloater_%281%29.jpg). 

 

 

*****

 

 

There were many things that Levi had seen in his lifetime. And there were many things that he would never want to see again. A bloater was one of them. While he knew what to expect of them now, that didn’t mean he was ever truly prepared. In this kind of situation, he could only do his absolute best to protect those behind him. So he grits his teeth and yelled at them, “Climb the bleachers and get out of here! I can keep him distracted long enough for us to get away!”

 

But Hanji, the crazy person that they are, refuses to budge and instead starts pulling out some of their Molotov cocktails, launching them with pinpoint accuracy to try to break down the bloater’s armor. The handmade firebombs engulf the creature in flame but it only roars louder and throws one of its spore bombs that explodes barely a few feet away from Hanji. “Get out of here, you crazy!” 

 

His friend doesn’t listen, though he’s not that surprised. They just throw more cocktails, slowly trying to blacken its armor to break through to the body underneath. It simply gets more enraged, so Levi gives up trying to convince Hanji and gets to its blind spot to shoot at the back of its neck, trying to hit the same spot every time and create a weak point. They make a good team at least, avoiding spores and grabbing every opportunity to inflict what damage they can. Bloaters are notoriously tough, and unless there is heavy firepower to work with, it can take ages to defeat. Providing you live long enough. He takes stock of everything in the gym and sees Hanji constantly on the move, the bloater is rotating between them to find an easy target, and Eren is using the crowbar he dropped to….beat the infected that made their way through the door. The kid’s not a weakling, but he’s a damn fool for not running when he could. He yells again for the kid to get out first while he still can and he can see the boy’s hesitation. But he seems to at least grasp the urgency enough to give up his hero routine and climb the bleachers. Once he’s up top, instead of staying low and inconspicuous, he pulls out a bow and notches it to shoot down any more stray infected so that he and Hanji can focus on the bloater. He takes a while to shoot, but he makes each one count at least. That’s good; now he needs Hanji to get up there too.

 

So the next time the bloater staggers and the fire dies down, he whips out his twin Tanto blades to scissor off its head from behind on the point he shot before. It’s a tough hide to cut through but he keeps his weapons sharp. It falls to the ground in a heap, but Levi knows that it’s still not safe. He grabs Hanji’s arm and pulls them along to they can get out as soon as possible.

 

It’s a long drop out of the top of the gym but he rolls when he falls and gets up running. The other two follow him as they try to break through the horde of infected circling around the perimeter. They get out school grounds with three clickers chasing and it’s back to trying to lose the infected in the little neighborhood. He sees a ladder conveniently placed up to get across the fence of one of the houses. They climb up in and push it over so that the infected can’t follow. 

 

The kid still seems shaken up even after they get into the house, panting as he locks and blocks the door. “What are the fucking odds of that?”

 

Levi doesn’t bother responding, his eyes focused elsewhere.

 

The kid is still backing away from the door, he hasn’t turned and seen what’s so obvious to them. “Hey, guys, who just leaves a ladder there for anyone to get at?”

 

Hanji clears their throat. “That’d be Moblit.”

 

Eren startles and Levi sees when he realizes that Hanji is not only answering his question but identifying the body hanging in the living room by a rafter on the ceiling. He’s a tall man, luckily he found a house with such high ceilings. His mild-looking face seems at peace, regardless of all the bites on his body. And there’s a note safety pinned to his shirt, addressed to Hanji. Moblit was always meticulous like that. Levi doesn’t say anything, letting Hanji deal with this in their own way. 

 

Hanji hesitates before saying barely above a whisper. “He has bites…here…and here…and here…damn they really got you good, didn’t they? You idiot, always saying that I was so reckless.” They turn to Levi. “He didn’t like me doing my experiments you know? He was such a worrywart! _‘Don’t get too close, it’s so easy to get bitten!’_ And then he just up and decides to get that battery I’d been bitching about getting, and without taking me! What did he expect? Didn’t even have the nerve to face me when it went south.” Hanji’s voice gets quieter, sadder until, “you left without even saying goodbye.” 

 

Both Levi and Eren give Hanji some space. The kid trails him into the kitchen as he decides that he might as well try and find some more supplies. Especially if they’ll be staying a while searching for a car. Eren speaks up, “so why would he go for the battery if it was such a risk?”

 

Levi shuts another empty cupboard. “He probably got bitten by the library. Since he couldn’t find a battery there he thought he might as well go for the sure bet. Can’t get _more_ infected after all.” 

 

Eren quiets down and drifts away from hovering behind him. It’s quiet without the kid by his side. He takes a moment before checking the pantry. He’s made it to the bathroom when he hears the engine turn over. Levi stops what he’s doing and heads to the garage to see Eren sitting in the cab of a truck.

 

It’s an equally old and rusted out pickup like the one they saw by the library, only this time it’s an old white one, covered in rust stains like bleeding sores and dirt that must have been there since the outbreak. But it was running. Hanji hears the noise and comes out as well. They look distraught but they quickly wipe some remaining tears and say, “There’s no use crying over it now, I’ve got a deal to uphold.” They sniff and shoo Eren out of the way to test it. 

 

Eren peeks over their shoulder to look while Levi hangs back. “How is it?”

 

“Well, the battery’s drained but the cells are still alive.”

 

“What’s that mean?”  
  
“Meaning, if we push it and get it started, the alternator will recharge the battery. Should work just fine after that.” They climb back out only to push Eren back into the driver’s seat. “Here you go, do you know how to drive stick?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay then, we’ll push and you start it. Are you ready?”

 

Seeing his nod, Levi pulls up the garage door and then joins Hanji at the back of the truck. They squat down and start pushing before letting go with a heave. As the truck rolls down the driveway and onto the street beyond, Eren gives it a shot but the engine still won’t start. Levi chases down the truck to give it another push. Unfortunately, the struggling engine is loud enough to draw out more infected. Eren’s head pops out of the car but Levi notices and yells at him, “You keep your ass in that truck and get it going!” 

 

He must have tried to start it again with no luck as it sputters once more. The infected are on them and Hanji and he have time for one more push before they have to fight back. Gunshots sound and while bullets do take them out faster, it only draws the attention of more. The engine stalls again. Eren bangs his head on the steering wheel in frustration. Meanwhile, Levi swears and calls out, “One more time, kid!” 

 

He pushes back another clicker and takes it down with his handgun while Hanji pushes the truck one last time. It rolls down the slight decline and it sputters once, twice, until finally turning on. Eren lets out a loud cry of delight that even Levi up on the hill can hear. He can see the kid a fair distance ahead of them lean out the window to yell. “Come on, hop on the back!”

 

They both sprint over and launch themselves on the pickup. “Floor it!” 

 

There was no need to tell him twice. Eren slams on the gas and they go flying away. When they’ve made it to the outskirts of town and the infected have been long gone, Hanji raps on the roof of the cab and tells him to stop. “But don’t shut off the engine,” they remind him.

 

He nods, “got it.” 

 

Hanji hops down and looks around. “This looks like my stop, I don’t want to get too far away.” They give Levi an arch look. “You might okay leaving, but the crew still need me as a supply depot and information hub. I can’t leave my town either. But don’t think I forgot that you need pay up, mister. You owe me for this beauty!” 

 

They pat the side of the hunk of metal with a fond look. Levi stares at them for a bit before coming to a decision. “I need you to be serious, Hanji.”

 

Their joking tone immediately melts away to reveal the hard look of a survivor. “Of course, Levi.”

 

They stare at each other for a moment, understanding, then Levi looks away and at Eren still in the cab, curious about what they’re saying. He gets off the back as well and walks a little ways away. 

 

“He’s immune.” 

 

As expected of Hanji, they immediately get down to the specifics. “How do you know?”

 

“I know.”

 

“Dammit Levi, you can’t just give me hope like this about all the possible experiments and then say that you’re leaving!”

 

His voice is unintentionally fond as he replies. He's really going to miss Hanji. “Sorry, I have to finish the job.”

 

Hanji looks at Eren in the cab. “He’s a job? I think we both know that you wouldn’t be so protective for a job.” They sigh. “Look if I can’t do the experiments, you have to give me some blood okay? Just to tide myself over so I don’t haul my crazy ass all over the country chasing you.” 

 

Levi wouldn’t put it past them. “Fine, ask the kid.” 

 

Hanji ambles on over to Eren and peeks through the window to ask. Eren’s head stretches out and he looks at Levi, confused, but seeing him nod, Eren agrees to give some blood. 

 

Levi decides not to question how or why Hanji has so many test tubes and a fresh syringe on hand. It took a few minutes for Hanji to finish. “Done! Thank you, sweetie!” They pocket the test tube but stop Levi before he can get back into the truck.

 

“And just because I am the literal best, I’ll even give you a lead. If you’re heading west, make a stop in Pittsburgh. There’s a doctor there called Ilse Langnar. Or at least, there was. She’s a German scientist who got stuck here after the outbreak. She’s an expert in fungus and her lab was in the city. I heard she runs with a crew there, but even if she doesn’t anymore I bet you can find her lab. Who knows, she might have even made some strides about how the infection mutates,” Hanji muses. They’re about to turn around and head back before a sudden thought occurs. “Agh, I can’t believe that I can’t go with you, but here, before I forget.” 

 

They hand him a siphon for gas and give an exuberant wave to Eren. “You’re gonna need it. See ya later, kiddo!” 

 

Hanji stares at him for a moment and then gives him a big hug, arms squeezing tight. They whisper in his ear, “stay safe, you little clean freak.”

 

Levi closes his eyes tight and hugs them back. “Try not to explode, weirdo.” He climbs back into the cab and shoves the kid from the driver’s seat. He takes a long time adjusting the mirrors to make sure that Hanji has disappeared from view before putting the car in drive and heading out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was a bit of a tough one to write. On one hand, bloaters are insanely difficult to deal with, but on the other, Levi is a certified BAMF. Do you see my dilemma? It's hard to portray a huge monster creature battling an insanely skilled person without one of them seeming ridiculously underpowered, but hey, with Hanji to help out I figure it was one of the best teams for the job! 
> 
> Also, I hope you like the Tanto knives Levi uses. They seemed really cool and pretty close to the blades used in AoT so I pretty much fell in love :)


	6. The Journey Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! We finally made it to the road trip! Yay! But since this is the zombie apocalypse and all, it won't quite be fun snacks and great music and cute bed and breakfasts along the way....Hope you all enjoy! :)
> 
> Comments and kudos are always wonderful! I love to hear what you think!

About an hour into their trip on 84, Eren finally can’t stand it and exclaims, “Oh, come on!”

 

Levi almost jerks the wheel and slams them into the sedan he was driving around. He throws a glare through the rear view mirror at Eren still stretched out in the backseat. “What now?”

 

“That’s what I want to say! It’s one of those bundles with a bunch of volumes so I thought it’d go a lot further! Things are going along great and there’s this big battle but then the main character straight up dies! What kind of comic is this? So I read more and then this!” Eren holds up the last page, where the words “To Be Continued” are pointed to like Exhibit A in a trial for injustice. Levi lets out a short huff of air that in other people might be construed as a laugh.

 

“That’s rough kid.” 

 

“I know!” Eren exclaims, feeling vindicated. “It was pretty good too! They live in this world inside three walls, right? The last of humanity, but these big ass giants called Titans come to attack and….” Eren’s explains the plot as best he can but it just sounds stilted and awkward instead of the amazing world created in the story. He gives up after the second attempt when he notices Levi’s gaze drifting. He’s not sure why he’s surveilling the road so intently considering the speedometer hasn't moved an inch above 30mph this whole trip. They’re on the highway, but most of the country must have had the same idea over a decade ago because the roadway is still jam packed with only a few open stretches so far. Levi spends more time maneuvering around the other cars than speeding along. One good thing about the story ending far too soon is that he won’t have to use up his flashlight reading in the dark anymore. The sun sets late in the summer but it’s gotten dark enough for the headlights to be on, weak as they are in illuminating the road, emitting a dull glow to aid their path. Eren crawls back up to the front passenger seat, trying not to kick Levi in the process. It was nice laying down but he’s bored again now that the comic is done. 

 

He’s silent for a few seconds before he asks, “are you still angry at me?”

 

Levi’s eyes don’t leave the road. “I’m not angry at you.”

 

Eren doesn’t believe it. “Look, I know you said that my job was to stay safe, but I had to try something. That big-ass bloater thing was taking all your attention so I took care of the other infected. I’m not apologizing for it.”

 

Levi sighs. “I didn’t expect you to. I just need to know that if a dangerous situation comes up again, I can rely on you to be where you’re supposed to be. Not running off wherever you think is best. I can’t keep you safe if I don’t know where you are and what you’re doing.”

 

“And you can’t protect me if you’re too busy dying from being outnumbered.” Eren argues. Levi doesn’t reply but it doesn’t feel much like a win. Eren looks down at the pack at his feet and notices the box sitting there. 

 

“Oh, before I forget, Hanji gave me this. They said we’ll need it more than them the way we’re going.” Eren opens up the cardboard box to reveal rows of ammo, buckshot and 9mm, enough to last them for a few weeks if they’re lucky. Which they usually weren’t, but still. 

 

Levi gives the box an appreciative glance. “Not going to say no to that. You keep those safe until we stop.”

 

Eren nods and tucks them away. “And when do we stop?”

 

Levi gives the fuel gauge a glance. “Probably in about an hour or two. Last thing we need is to be stuck out on the open road. I can pull off when we’re running low.”

 

It turns out that Levi had a pretty good idea of how much gas they would use. They get off a couple hours after the sun had completely set, in the early hours of the morning into a town called Beacon in New York. They drive about a mile off the exit into a quaint little downtown area when Levi pulls up and stops in front of a worn brick storefront. He shuts off the power and the sudden quiet in the wake of the rumbling engine feels stifling. They both cautiously open the doors and get out of the truck, Eren tugging his backpack on as well as his bow and quiver. Levi turns on his flashlight to scan the area, but other than a few scattered plastic bags and early fallen leaves, there’s no movement. Deeming it safe for now, Levi heads into the building beside them. It’s a little store, full of outdoor sporting supplies, like camping, hiking, and playing in the snow if the posters along the wall are to be believed. It’s pretty cleaned out, but Levi is able to find some durable ropes that aren’t too worn, discarded behind the cash register. Eren searches as well, but other than some for decoration buttons at the counter and a high quality jacket that looks only big enough for a child, he comes up empty. On impulse, he lifts up a fallen kayak to look at whatever products could have been covered beneath when it fell, and unexpectedly finds a few things that could be useful and even a self-filtering water bottle that had gotten lost inside. He brings it over to Levi for inspection. 

 

The other man looks as happy as he’s ever gotten, which is to say that his mouth is not in an outright frown and his face is not as pinched as usual. Eren grins back and drops it into his backpack where it would stay safe. They both spend another few minutes looking around and Levi picks up a pair of socks and even some fishing wire. All things considered, it’s a very profitable trip. But it’s late and Eren can no longer hide his yawning so when they leave the store, inside of checking another, Levi brings them to another brick building proclaiming it to be the _Inn and Spa at Beacon_ and heads inside. Eren follows but at a much slower pace, looking around at the fireplace in the lobby and paintings still hanging on the wall. The pale wall color is distorted from age and unidentifiable stains, while the tile floor is cracked noticeably in several places. The chairs and love seats lie strewn in pieces by the cracked window. The whole place is likely already cleared out, but if there’s a mattress upstairs, Eren just might cry tears of joy. 

 

Instead of going up to where the rooms likely are like Eren expected, Levi instead goes off to the side, opening up a door hidden discreetly to the side of the lobby, with a sign indicating it’s for employees only. Confused, Eren turns on his flashlight and heads down as well. Levi leads them down into the basement, turning right at the bottom of the stairs. Eren keeps close but has to jump back against the wall when a clicker storms at them from the end of the hallway, mouth wide around a piercing screech. Levi takes it down with a few shots, but holds the gun up steady, waiting for anything else to appear. Eren does the same, only with his bow and arrow, which feels vastly inadequate in this closed off space. The silence falls again, but both of them check the hallway twice more to see if they missed one. When nothing pops out, Eren finally takes out the notched arrow and lowers his arms, sore from holding at the ready for so long. He finds Levi back at the infected corpse, inspecting it. 

 

“It looks old,” Levi says. “Probably a few years. If it’s the only one, it might still be okay here. But if not, let’s make this quick.” The other man then backtracks to the other end of the hall to in from of a door marked, _Housekeeping_.

 

“Do you still have that shiv I made you?”

 

Wordlessly, Eren digs through his bag to pull it out. Levi grabs his hand and leads him through the motions of how to unlock a locked door with the makeshift knife. After a few moments, the lock breaks and the door swings open. The shiv is fairly damaged though, probably only good for one or two more uses. But if there are good supplies in there, it’s worth it. Eren cautiously opens it, ready for anything to pop out, previously locked door or not. It’s quiet, only the slight squeak on the hinges before they’re in. And Eren almost wants to cry. There are stacks of fresh towels, cleaning supplies, and even some little bottles of bath products. He tries the utility sink just in case, but not even a drop of water sputters out. Eren lets out a barely suppressed groan. He had hoped for something drink, or better yet, something to wash up with. He’s pretty sure he still has blood stains dried on his body and he would love not to smell the way he probably does after leaving the zone. 

 

“That’s fine,” Levi says, noticing his expression. “There’s a river not too far from here that we can use to wash up.”

 

Eren perks up at that. “There is? How do you know?”

 

Levi leads them both to the stairwell. “I saw the signs for it coming in. Should be a quick trip, but for now, you need to rest.”

 

“Right.” Eren’s whole body slumps as if all he needed was the reminder to feel the fatigue that has building up ever since he left Boston. He can barely lift his feet by the time they make it to the top floor and Levi chooses a room. It’s not incredibly large, clearly meant for only one or two people, with a large bed and a window to see the street and probably the water. There’s a writing desk against one wall and some broken wooden pieces left from some piece of furniture that used to be next to the bed but not much else. Eren checks out the closet and Levi searches the bathroom before they can both relax enough to sit down. Well, Eren sits on the ripped mattress and drops his backpack and bow on the floor with a thump, while Levi chooses to bolster up both the lock and the security chain on the door with that little decorative desk. It probably won’t make it more secure, but a few seconds gained is a few more seconds to prepare. 

 

It’s been a while since he’s slept in a bed, and he’s ready to just crash. He practically peels off his shirt and is going to work on his boots when Levi asks him, “what are you doing?”

 

Eren looks up, still bent over with his hands resting on his laces. “Uh, getting ready to sleep?”

 

Levi sighs, “Kid, take off your shirt if you want, hell, take off your pants if you really feel the need to, but unless you know without any shadow of a doubt that you are perfectly safe, never take off your shoes. You don’t know when you’ll need to move and you don’t want to be stuck hauling ass without any protection on your feet. Or die because you’re still tying your laces.”

 

Eren lets go of his laces and falls back onto the mattress with a bounce. He tries to hide his wince at landing on an exposed spring. “Ugh, fine! I get it, I will live in these boot for the rest of my life.” Almost as an afterthought, he adds, “and my name’s Eren.”

 

Eren cracks open one eyelid to see Levi’s eyes on him for a moment longer before he turns away. “I’ll take first watch, get some sleep.”

 

He doesn’t put up much of a fight; Eren knows that he’d be useless being on any sort of guard. He’s passed out before he even realizes. 

 

 

*****

 

 

Eren sleeps in fits and starts, waking up every hour or so before finally falling into a deep sleep from pure exhaustion as the sun rises. The next time he finds himself conscious, he’s blinking in the bright, mid-morning light. He rises slowly, rolling himself up into a sitting position and folding back a towel that Levi must have put on him like a blanket sometime during the night. The night that he took first watch for, and must’ve expected him to take second. Well, shit. Eren buries his head in his hands, then smooths his hair back from his face. Some partner he claims to be. He looks over to find Levi in the room and can’t see him anywhere. Instead of looking around calmly, he practically falls off the bed, throws on his shirt, and grabs his things, only to turn around and see Levi standing in the bathroom through the slightly closed door. 

 

Eren drops his bag and relaxes before creeping up behind the other man. He has one of his knives out and is _very_ carefully scraping it along his jaw and neck in front of the cracked mirror. Eren is a big enough person to admit he’s a little jealous, considering he’s never had much opportunity to shave. A little above his lip and around his mouth is all he can muster which is especially frustrating considering the beard his father has. Most of the guys in the dorm would pass around an old, blunt razor when they got too scruffy so this is the first time Eren’s seen a man use his knife. He moves in sure strokes, grip delicate on the blade, and somehow doesn’t nick himself, even around his jawline. 

 

“You’re staring.”

 

Eren looks up to meet Levi’s eyes in the mirror and can see himself blush. “Sorry, it’s just, I’ve never seen that before.”

 

Levi finishes up with a quick flick by his ear and wipes the blade clean. “Never seen someone shave?”

 

“Not with a knife.” He pauses. “Not _successfully_ with a knife. My one friend, Thomas, tried once and we never did get the bloodstains out of the carpet.”

 

“Hmm.” Levi finishes wiping down the blades for any stray hairs and gives him an assessing look. Eren rubs his face, feeling only smooth skin and looks down, missing Levi’s slight grin. “Are you going somewhere?”

 

Eren looks back at him only to see his nod to his hastily dressed body and the backpack at his feet. “Yeah,” he starts, trying to hide his embarrassment. “You said that we were going to wash up this morning, I was really excited.”

 

“Seems like it. But we have a few things to do before we can get to that.” Levi’s tone is dry, but he grabs his bag as well and leads Eren up to the roof to point out where they’re going. On any other day, before everything changed, Eren could imagine people coming here just to admire the view. Summer is turning into fall, and there are even some trees showing it in vibrant hues before they reach the water beyond. But Levi was right the night before, the river isn’t far at all, and just knowing he’ll be cleaner soon is bringing to mind how dirty he didn’t realize he was before. 

 

Outside, Levi passes Eren the plastic gas canister while he grabs the siphon. “You’d be surprised how many cars still have gas in them.”

 

“Wouldn’t it be easier to check a gas station or something? I think we passed one on the way in here.”

 

Levi shakes his head. “Not really, those are the first places people check. The majority you’ll come across are empty. Your best bet is the cars.”

 

With that in mind, Levi tests a few cars staggered along on the street, blowing into the clear tubing and listening for the sounds of bubbles forming in any gas left. They find some in the sixth car they try. Levi motions Eren to kneel down and watch as he blocks the gaps with a rag and then carefully sucks out the gas until he can see it through the tubing approaching his lips and then deposits the end that was in his mouth into the canister resting on the ground below, letting gravity and the pressure in the tank do the rest of the work. When it empties, Levi passes the siphon over to Eren for him to try. 

 

It takes him a little while to get the hang of it, and he can now regretfully say that he knows the taste of gasoline, but after a few more blocks down they’re able to fill up the truck by at least three quarters of a tank. Eren gets ready to ride in the car but Levi pulls him back to go through the shops again before they leave. He drills it into Eren that he constantly has to be on the lookout for supplies, because you never know when you’ll go weeks without finding something. And he’s right, so they both check every building, retracing the steps he took while checking cars. A used clothing store has another shirt that he can use to switch back and forth between two and feel a little cleaner day by day. A survival school for scouts has some maps of the area and the state. A mini mart has a lighter, some hair bands, and even some Vaseline which Levi seems almost smug about finding. Eren can’t blame him. His father swore by it as a quick fix for minor injuries and his mother used to joke that it was all she needed to take care of their house and her skin. Even a restaurant has mini packets of salt and pepper. But it’s the veterinary pharmacy that they hit it big at. Most people either overlook vets, or don’t know equivalent medications, so he and Levi are able to grab what amounts to penicillin and amoxicillin on the shelf despite the names being different. Eren makes sure to memorize what Levi grabs, impressed at the man’s wide range of survival knowledge, considering he lived in the zone just like him. 

 

They head back to car, Eren’s offer to drive being firmly denied. Instead, he is instated as the shotgun navigator to get them to the river, which he does pretty well, directing Levi to where he needs to go in minutes. They pull up in an empty parking space right in front of the docks on the Hudson River, according to the map Eren took back on Main Street, and they both hop out. It’s quiet out here, no signs of any infected which makes Eren feel a little better about jumping into the river and leaving his stuff behind. The water off the docks is clear, placid, and the sun reflecting off it creates dazzling shimmers of golden light. It’s not the beach, he knows that. It’s not a wide open horizon when he can see the trees on the other side. No choppy waves and depths of possibility, but it’s incredible all the same. 

 

Off the wooden panels of the dock, he carefully takes off his boots and socks, and rolls up his pants, leaving his feet bare in the sand. The ground is gritty when he clenches his toes, gentle laps of water surrounding him to his ankles, and he can feel the breeze through his hair. He doesn’t know how long he’s standing there, but Levi must be impatient because he can hear the other rustling his clothes off and wading into the water beside him. Eren opens his eyes to see Levi already waist deep and going in further, all articles of clothing folded neatly on his bag. A few seconds later and he dunks his whole body, head included, underwater. Eren tenses, counting the seconds, and when he’s reached a full minute and is cautiously wading further to help him, Levi surfaces again, a little out of breath, and pushes his hair back from his face. He takes the bottled soap from the inn he must have grabbed before going in to scrub around his body and head, in brisk, efficient movements. He’s clean in minutes and rinsing his hair before he sees Eren still hesitating on the edge. After a moment, he swims up closer so that the water is level with his chest rather than only his shoulders and gestures for Eren to come in as well. “Come on kid, this a good opportunity to practice your non-existent swimming skills too.” Seeing his hesitation, he adds, “Look, even a short man can do it; you’d be standing at this depth.”

 

“My name’s Eren,” he reminds Levi. 

 

“I know. Now stop stalling.” Self conscious under Levi’s gaze he takes off his shirt, pauses and looks down to unbutton his pants. He hops a little to tug his jeans off, but they get stuck on his wet feet and he ends up falling on his ass down on the sandy beach. He’s sitting there, pants around his ankles and feeling like a fool but then Levi snorts and Eren grins at the sound. He stays down and tugs off his pants before standing back up to wade into the water again. Taking a breath, he’s just about to creep forward, before he realizes that he still has his underwear on. He’s never been modest before, and using the communal bathing areas at the dorm hadn’t bothered him at all so he doesn’t know why he’s so nervous to strip down like this now. Is it because they’re in such an open area? Realizing that just standing there is ridiculous and he doesn’t want to deal with wet underwear later, he braces himself and finishes undressing. He looks up to see that Levi is tactfully looking away. He appreciates the thought even if he didn’t extend the same courtesy when the other man was wading into the water. Eren keeps his focus down below him, though it’s dark enough not to see his feet on the bottom anymore. He keeps creeping forward slowly, expecting a sharp decline in his easy walk so far. He doesn’t even realize how far he’s gone until Levi’s hand grips his arm to force him to stop. 

 

Eren finally raises his head to see that he’s actually gone right past Levi and far deeper than he’d intended. Levi releases his arm and tugs him back to where he was standing before and passes him the soap, gently unfurling his clenched fingers to do so. Levi’s right, it is just standing at this depth. Once he relaxes, he can suddenly feel how cold the water is, but that’s not too surprising, so Eren sort of sways in place, trying to get his blood flowing before giving up and washing his body of dried on blood stains and grime as best he can. 

 

After cleaning up as well, he looks at Levi for approval but the other man just sighs, motioning Eren over and pushing down his head so that he’s almost bent in half. Eren sputters out a protest that fades when he feels Levi’s fingers running through his hair. His cupped hands drop water on his head to get him sufficiently wet enough, then Levi takes the soap back from Eren to work through his hair, careful movements so as not to get tangled up in the messy strands. Eren is silent, reveling in the attention. He closes his eyes, both to appreciate the sensation and also to keep stray suds and water from getting in.

 

Levi breaks the silence by muttering, “How did you get this far without even knowing how to clean yourself?” 

 

Eren doesn’t bother dignifying that with an answer, he just flips his head upright again and rolls his eyes. Levi leans back and gives his hair a critical look before nodding. “Stay here,” he instructs, which almost makes Eren feel like a puppy gone astray or something. 

 

He gives a half-hearted salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”

 

When Levi gets back from putting the soap back in his bag, Eren is pointedly looking off into the distance, trying to measure how far away the opposite coast is from where he’s standing now. Levi stands in front of him and then, keeping eye contact, drifts away and starts to float on his back. He holds for a few seconds and then straightens up and comes back. “First things first. You need to get comfortable with the water. That starts with getting your face wet and floating under your own power. Do you want to start with floating or putting your head underwater?”

 

“Floating, I guess?”

 

Noting their current depth, Levi then leads Eren into deeper water and has him lay on his back. Even with Levi holding him afloat, Eren can feel how tense his body is. When Levi cautiously moves one of his hands out from under his lower back, Eren’s legs immediately start to sink and the rest of his body follows. His legs scramble, but he’s still sinking and the water is creeping up his face. Before he can freak out even more, Levi moves to stand behind him and holds his head level and upright. His cool fingers over his ears feel warm in the river, blocking out the water and muffling his voice but he can hear the words clearly enough. “I’m here. Just focus on your kicking. Keep your feet flat, legs straight, and move them up and down.”

 

At first, it does nothing. His legs are twitching frantically and he grabs onto Levi’s arms to hold himself steady and keep his upper body above water. But then Levi moves to the side, one hand under his head, the other under his upper back and Eren relaxes enough to keep kicking with purpose rather than flailing around. His hands release their vise grip on Levi’s arms, gently detaching one after the other and with Levi keeping him steady, he slowly builds into a rhythm with his movements. Even his arms are gently treading back and forth so he doesn’t notice when Levi’s hand becomes less of a prop and more of gentle touch that fades away. 

 

“That’s it,” he encourages, maintaining eye contact. “The water isn’t evil, it just doesn’t put up with idiots. Use your abdomen to hold your body level, and sway your arms back and forth just like you’re doing. When you feel your legs sink, just kick up and down. No giant splashes, just enough to keep them up.” 

 

They do a little more floating until Eren can hold the position by himself, if only for a minute or so, and then Levi has Eren dunk his head so he knows what it’s like. “I’m not saying it’s easy, just respect where you are. Work with the water, not against it.”

 

Eren rubs again at his eyes and taps the side of his head to get rid of the water in his ear. He’s a little skeptical of his own abilities, but for all intents and purposes, he’s not completely hopeless now. Levi continues his lecture, “If you find yourself submerged, try not to panic. At the very least, kick like hell in the direction you want to go and use your arms and core to keep your head up.” 

 

Eren nods, and together they work on actually moving in the water enough so he can move on his own in the water. It’s awkward, and his head dips underwater and he needs to cough and pant for breath, but it’s progress. Eren finds himself exhausted and ready to finish up. His wish is granted when Levi squints at the sky and determines it far later than he intended to stay. It’s already afternoon and they need to be on the road again. 

 

So they both walk out of the water and dry off using a towel swiped from the inn. Eren rubs his hair as vigorously as he can, but he can still feel it dripping down his neck. He fishes through his bag to find one of those hair bands to form a quick messy bun and then works on pulling his pants back on, and the shirt he found earlier today. Feeling more refreshed than he’s felt in a while, he beats Levi to the driver’s side of the car. 

 

“You know, you must be exhausted, all that staying up all night, and driving the day before, and teaching me all day today. I bet you want me to drive now, huh?”

 

“Nice try, kid.” Levi approaches, grabs Eren’s hips, and easily moves him out of the way to climb into the driver’s seat. Eren wears a pout that is not entirely an exaggeration, he really would like to drive. But it fades quickly as Levi pulls out onto the highway and they cross the bridge over the river. On the road again.

 


	7. Growing Pains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter as Levi and Eren continue on their journey, making progress on the trip getting to Pittsburgh, but they both discover that it's not so easy working together with a complete stranger...
> 
> I love hearing from you guys, it always makes my day, so please let me know what you think!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated :)

Eren fiddles with the loose strand on his shirt again before asking. ”How far away did you say we were again? From Pittsburgh?"

  


"I didn't."

  


He sighs and lifts his head from resting on the window to look at Levi. ”Okay, but how far are we?”

  


"About 400 miles or so.”

  


Eren just stares blankly at him. “That means nothing to me. How many hours left in the trip?”

  


“I don’t know kid, with the rate we’re going, maybe a day or two.”

  


“Eren,” he corrects absently. “And are you planning on driving through the night?” He looks out again to the sun starting its descent. “We got kind of a late start today and everything.”

  


Levi gives a noncommittal hum at that and Eren turns back to look at him. His head is still propped up on his closed fist, only one hand on the wheel as he drives. He looks contemplative, but Eren can’t read his mood at all. Is he annoyed at him? Is he trying to time out how long it would take to reach the city? Is he worried about gas? Levi must’ve noticed him staring again because his head tilts, looking at Eren briefly before returning to the road. 

  


“What’s on your mind? I can hear you thinking over here. Might as well spit it out.”

  


“I want to drive.”

  


With absolutely no hesitation, Levi replies the same way he has the last three times. “No.”

  


“Please?”

  


“Still no.”

  


Eren starts to get a little frustrated. “Why don’t you let me drive, huh? Are you worried about me going too fast and crashing or something? It’s not like there are too many cars, the road’s even been pretty clear! Do you think something so bad will happen, that even you sitting right next to me won’t be able to fix it? Come, just let me drive! You can even catch up on some sleep! When was the last time you slept?”

  


It’s either his convincing arguments or not wanting to listen to him beg for the fourth time, but Levi finally relents with a huffed complaint of, “teenagers.”

  


He probably thinks that with Eren at the wheel, he’ll get bored and give up eventually. So he slows the truck down to stand idle and jumps down from the driver’s seat to circle around and knock on Eren’s window prompting him to move. Still a little stunned it worked, Eren takes a moment to actually slide over into the driver’s seat, a wide grin on his face. “Thanks, Levi!”

  


Levi settles in his new spot before seeming to think of something and leaning over by Eren’s shoulder to see from his view. His voice is right in Eren’s ear as he instructs, “So you know that the gas pedal is the one on the far right, and the break-“

  


Eren elbows him back out of the way. “Jeez, I know that much! You saw me drive before.” 

  


Levi leans back in his seat, humoring him. “All right, if you say so. It’s pretty simple, we’ll be on this highway for a bit, so just keep going straight.”

  


Eren scoffs at his caution and then immediately goes beet red at his jerky start. He shoots a quick look at Levi to see if he wants to say ‘I told you so’ or something, but the other man merely looks bored, still trying to find a comfortable position to rest. So Eren focuses on the road and tries to remember everything he knows about driving stick. It’s a little awkward at first, going through the gears, going too fast, going too slow, but he finds the pace without too much embarrassment. After a few miles, Eren finally feels confident enough to say, “I’m not so bad, right? And you were all worried!”

  


Getting no response, Eren looks over and pauses in his next remark. Levi is sleeping. Or maybe just trying to. He’s lowered the seat back in a way Eren didn’t know was possible and his head rests on the headrest, facing towards the window, still in the shadow of the sun visor. In shock at the idea of Levi actually listening to him and taking a nap, Eren quiets immediately and focuses on the road again, hoping to make it well into Pennsylvania by the time they need to call it a night. 

  


It’s nice, being in control and driving without a hoard of infected chasing him down like they did in Hanji’s town. Which of course makes him check the rearview mirror just in case. He exhales heavily in relief at only having scattered cars behind him. Though it is a little weird being up without Levi awake either. Even though Eren had used it as an incentive, he didn’t really expect Levi to take him up on the offer. But all things considered, Levi had probably been up for several days at this point and definitely needed rest. He just seemed like such a constant presence that him suddenly passing out is jarring. And Eren’s not sure if he likes it.

  


Or rather, he’s not sure that he likes being stuck in his own head again without anyone to talk to. According to Levi, they’re not far away from Pittsburgh, and if Hanji is right, that means they might fight that doctor too. A mycologist, specializing in fungus. While that doesn’t mean she’ll know anything about the infection relating to the human body, it’s their strongest lead to a vaccine, barring the Fireflies they were actually meant to meet. And if he and Levi could meet up with her, it’s possible that she could be an incredible asset to learning more about the disease as it exists today. 

  


And knowing that doctors are precious commodities, it wouldn’t be completely outside of the realm of possibility for her to have connections with others in the medical field. Dr. Langnar could be a key component to developing a vaccine or even a cure. And that in itself is a sobering thought. Having the key to humanity’s survival in his hands, well arm, is far too intense of a concept for Eren to fully rationalize. 

  


What made him so special? Out of the hundreds of millions infected or killed or torn to shreds over the years, what about him is incredible enough to make a difference? A reckless idiot, too idealistic, and too headstrong even before he was bitten, he’s hardly a worthy candidate to be the last hope of survival. He could barely take care of himself some days without Mikasa stepping in. And while he’s gotten better at fighting and most certainly at fixing his cuts and bruises, nothing could have prepared him for the true danger outside the walls. 

  


Not the poorly drawn diagrams of infected by soldiers who hadn’t left the perimeter in years. Not shooting at a target once a month when they had enough bullets to spare. Not losing his mother right in front of his eyes, or even the brutal journey to Boston when he was a child. All the same, he can’t help but appreciate the unexpected side effect of being bitten: he can finally leave. 

  


Years of wanting to escape from the walls that enclosed him. From the stench of too many scared people living in close quarters and the hunger that gnawed at his stomach when rations were low. All the rules and restrictions that governed every second of his life. Despite the horrors and the danger, being on this trip is the first time he’s felt so alive. He’s breathed the forest air, swam in the cool water of a river, and fought a bloody battle against infected. And while it is annoying that Levi keeps treating him like a child, Eren can’t help but think that with all the lessons the other man’s been giving him, he’ll be able to prove himself and be seen as an equal partner on their journey. 

  


But that exploration and the freedom he’s found aren’t likely to continue once his immunity is discovered. No doctor would let such a valuable test subject out of their hands. And he doesn’t think that Dr. Langnar will be an exception. Unless, of course, she’s no longer there. Hanji had given them an address but no guarantee of her status in the city. For all they know, Ilse Langnar could be long gone. Escaped during the initial panic or in the following years. What are the odds of her still being there? And is Pittsburgh even still a quarantine?

  


Quite a few major cities were, but most have fallen due to insufficient supplies or shoddy management if his father’s intel from the Fireflies was to be believed. Not all civilians expressed trust in the military’s handling of the zones. It wouldn’t be impossible that a once bustling city could be nothing but rubble and scraps. And if that’s the case, then they would have no choice but to move on further west. Eren’s hand finds the necklace tucked underneath his shirt and he fiddles with the ring, rubbing the engraving until the words feel scarred onto him. No matter the outcome, they have to try. 

  


*****

  


The sun has been down for almost an hour when Levi jerks upright again. It’s nothing too expressive, one minute he’s passed out, tense face relaxed, and the next his eyes are open and scanning the area for any potential threat. His immediate wariness coupled with the skills he’s shown thus far leads Eren to think unlike he had earlier, that maybe he had lived outside the zone before. While any district can be dangerous if in the wrong situation, Levi’s reflexes seem more tuned to a battlefield rather than just avoiding patrols and amateur ambushes. His father had always seemed the same. And that resolve and those instincts had been tempered in the perilous world outside, not just scrounging for a living in a zone. 

  


Eren had been worried that he’d wake Levi up, so he’d been driving as cautiously and as slowly as possible. Despite that, the gas doesn’t last long and when Levi sees the gauge, he tells him to take the next exit off the highway. Following Levi’s instructions, he pulls off I-80 to a town called Milton and they scavenge supplies from a hardware store, an animal hospital, a bar, and an auto shop. Eren finds a little gas, but mainly, the town is cleaned out of cars and they don’t want to veer too far away from the highway. 

  


He doesn’t know why Levi even bothers with gathering maps, considering he almost has a sixth sense regarding where to go. On the outskirts of the town proper, he directs Eren to pull into a campground right on the banks of another river. They stay close to the underside of the bridge and Levi breaks into one of the empty trailers left on the bank.

  


It’s definitely cozier than Eren expected. There’s a little table and booth set up beside asink and some cabinets, and even a bed at the end with a mattress. Though the air is staler and the temperature is hotter than outside, it feels good to be able to stretch out after sitting in the car for hours. Driving and staying on guard by himself had been more mentally exhausting than expected and Eren is ready to pass out but Levi is waiting for him at the table, so he just falls into the booth across from him, expecting another lecture or something. But Levi is silent, only opening up his bag and laying out everything piece by piece, occasionally passing over an item to Eren’s side. Some things like a few nails, or pills for him to carry and a roll of bandages. He takes them without question and shoves them into his backpack, waiting for Levi to let him go to sleep.

  


In the meantime, Eren rests his head on his hands on the little kitchen table in the trailer as Levi takes out and itemizes all their newfound resources from the town. He’s bored enough with the tedium of unpacking and checking supplies to notice that Levi’s shirt is ripped at the cuff and so he points it out the other man. Levi scowls and inspects the offending rip before pausing in his actions and pulling out a small packet from an inner pocket of his bag. It’s thin, about the size of his palm, and Levi flips it open to reveal rows of needles and some dwindling supplies of thread in several colors.

  


“I suppose now is as good a time as any to teach you an essential skill,” he says in all seriousness. Under Eren’s attention, Levi guides him through the process of sewing up a hole. From sticking the thread in your mouth to smooth it down, to threading the needle with a delicate touch, Eren’s eyes stay riveted. Levi’s movements are calm and methodical, making even rows of stitches that even his father would be proud of in record time. 

  


Eren lets out a low whistle, “are you a doctor or something?” He’s not expecting a response, and therefore he’s unsurprised when none is forthcoming. Levi has been remarkably close-mouthed on any personal information. Once the stitch is knotted off and cut with one of Levi’s knives, the man moves to organize his weapons next. 

  


It’s amazing how many he can fit into that harness he wears. Four handguns, a shotgun, his short swords, several knives, and even a tomahawk that Eren had never noticed hanging off his thigh. Levi checks the magazines and remaining ammo for the guns, making sure that none are empty. Then he cleans his knives with a special rag and makes sure that all the blades are sharp enough with the tip of his thumb. Levi is a one-man army, with or without the evidence pooled across the trailer’s table. He’s formidable on his own, but being armed to the teeth with the knowledge to use all his weapons is an impressive feat. 

  


Eren is itching to get a gun as well and reaches over to the 9mm Luger before he’s stopped by the firm grasp on his wrist. “Don’t touch it, brat.”

  


Eren doesn’t bother ripping his hand away, but he is a little miffed at Levi’s continued insistence of treating him like a child. “Why not?”

  


Levi raises an eyebrow. “Because in case you hadn’t realized yet, these are not toys.” 

  


“I know that.” Eren waits for any further explanation but doesn’t get one. 

  


He opens his mouth, only for Levi to release his wrist and say, “You pick one up, you best be ready to kill.” 

  


Eren scowls, “I’ll be ready.” 

  


Levi snorts. “Who are you going to kill, me?” 

  


Alarmed at the thought, Eren retorts sharply, “of course not!” 

  


“Well, there’s no one else around. So if you’re not going to kill me, I guess you don’t need a weapon do you?” 

  


Eren is silent, fiddling with his clothes. “Fine, I get it. I won’t use a gun and actually help or anything. I’ll just sit here and wait for you to protect me.” His knows that voice is bitter and Eren does nothing to stop it. Levi just sighs.

  


“If you need something to do…” Eren looks up and Levi tosses something at him. It’s his needles and thread. “You might want to fix that patch on your elbow.”

  


“Fine.” Eren is frustrated, but what can he do? So he ties back his hair again and brushes a few stray strands out of the way to get to work. The hole is at an awkward angle so he ends up pulling off his shirt and trying to use the method that Levi had shown him to create even stitches, but curiosity quickly gets the best of him and he sets the shirt aside. 

  


“So…” he begins. Levi hums a bit to show he’s listening. “How do you know so much?” 

  


“What do you mean?” 

  


“I mean, you know guns, and how to fight, and throw knives, which I guess isn’t that weird, but you even have a tomahawk for fuck’s sake! And then you can sew, and siphon gas, and swim-“ 

  


“Swimming wasn’t that uncommon before the outbreak,” Levi interjects. 

  


“-And you’re good with maps, and medical stuff, and cars. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could bartend or break dance or something too! Seriously, is there anything you don’t know how to do?” 

  


“…Breakdance.” 

  


Eren latches onto the omission. “So you can bartend?” 

  


“I can pour one or more liquids in a single cup, yes.” 

  


Eren has to admit, Levi doesn’t really give off the impression of someone who would pour a drink with a flourish and a grin, but still. “And the accent!” He adds, suddenly thinking of it. 

  


“What accent?” 

  


“Yours of course! You don’t sound like you’re from Boston.” Eren knew that people in quarantines weren’t always from that area, but you just didn’t hear too many voices like Levi’s around. 

  


“Well, neither do you.” 

  


“That’s because I’m not. I’m actually from Montana but we didn’t come over until-wait, no! You’re way too good at that. We were talking about you.” 

  


“We were?” 

  


“Yes, well I was trying to. Where are you from?” 

  


“Here and there.” 

  


“Ugh!” Eren exclaims, head hitting the table and burying his face in the discarded shirt. “It’s useless, utterly useless. I completely get Hanji’s frustration. Okay, fine, don’t talk about the past. Is this a Levi thing, or is it just me?” 

  


“It’s not just you.” Eren turns his head so that he’s looking sideways at Levi, who has since moved on to checking the security of the sheaths hooked under his arms and on his lower back. He’s focused on his work, but Eren’s gaze follows up the man’s movements, resting on his arms as they work. 

  


Levi had rolled up his sleeves and Eren gets a closer look at what he was too distracted to notice in much detail before. Colors peaking out on his upper arm, Eren could see points of blue and white but not much else. “Can you at least tell me about your tattoo?” Levi freezes. 

  


While he had initially seemed amused at Eren’s questions and dodged them without heat, he now looks straight at Eren and says without any room for argument. “No.” It’s silent in the trailer, only a few scattered raindrops pinging against the metal roof. The sleeve gets rolled down once more. Mild curiosity arises in Eren’s mind as to why a man without an infected bite to hide would bother wearing long sleeves like him in the first place, but he soon gives up that train of thought.

  


He mulls over how to come to terms with the fact that he might never know much about Levi. It’s not like the man ever talks about himself. But Eren figures that the first step to Levi treating more like a partner rather than baggage might not be personal information, but strength. He’s not incredible, and he definitely can’t take down a dozen men at once, but he has skills and he was one of the highest ranked in the dorm. Now all that’s left is proving that to Levi. 

  


Eren tries to shake off the weird mood and gives a half-hearted salute. “Yes, sir!” It works, a little. 

  


Levi goes back to work and says with a gentler voice. “Go to sleep kid.” 

  


“My name’s Eren.” 

  


“I know.” 

  


*****

  


Eren is woken at least an hour before sunrise and Levi takes the bed in the back, looking like he fits better than Eren who had to curl into a ball rather than sprawling out as he usually prefers. He hides a smile at the thought, before turning to his bag. Levi may be a little over the top in his incessant need to document every little thing in his possession, but he probably isn’t wrong to do so. Eren decides to give it a shot, maybe sort through what he has as well.

  


First, the clothes. He has that extra shirt, some socks, and a scarf for colder weather hidden at the bottom. His jeans and boots will have to last longer, being less easy to replace. A couple of hair bands, comics wrapped in plastic, a water bottle, a lighter, and six stray matches. A toothbrush, baking soda, some dried squirrel meat and a can of peaches from the zone. There’s also a roll of toilet paper and a thin towel from the inn, as well as something special he may or may not have found in Hanji’s safe house. The supplies from Levi are resting on top. In his front pack are the siphon tube and some cool trinkets he had found in the cars they’ve scavenged. His bag isn’t quite full, but all the same, he probably wouldn’t be able to fit many weapons inside even if he had them. He usually carries his bow and arrows on his back and his switchblade in his pocket anyway. 

  


At the thought, Eren flips it open, letting the dull blade catch the light of the setting moon behind scattered clouds, and trying not to feel jealous at the arsenal that Levi has. He may have been the best at hand to hand at school, disregarding Mikasa, but that means jack shit when you’re fighting against infected. The last thing you’d want to do is get up close and personal with their mouths or hands that can tear your head off. And he does know how to shoot. If it were any other person, he might have played with the idea of taking a gun for himself, but he knows that wouldn’t fly because of how meticulous Levi is. He’d notice the loss immediately. On the other hand, maybe he’s waiting for Eren to prove himself as being an asset. In which case, he shouldn’t wait for an opportunity, but make one himself. 

  


When Levi wakes after only two hours, he proceeds to give Eren another lesson on swimming in the nearby river in the dull early morning light. Eren’s grateful for learning the skill and all, but he really can’t get used to water that feels like it’s sloshing in his ears for ages afterwards. He doesn’t even bother toweling off, already feeling like he’s baking in the heat. All the same, while Levi is distracted putting on his clothes, Eren sprints to the car and claims the driver’s seat again. Levi doesn’t protest this time, just sighs and hops into the passenger seat, his bag at his feet. He pulls a map out and settles in as the de facto navigator, barely glancing at it to give directions. 

  


And Eren fails again in trying to draw Levi into a conversation. The man simply doesn’t even seem to bother talking to him unless he’s instructing or chastising him. Questions about his favorite gun, or how long he’s known Hanji, or how long he’s lived in Boston either have monosyllabic or deflective answers. After a while, Eren drifts into silence as well, tapping his finger on the wheel and thinking about the never-ending babble living in the dorms. 

  


Unfortunately, when the low gas level becomes an issue later in the day, Eren is forced to pull off at the nearest town exit for Cresson. Levi frowns and breaks his silence to hold the steering wheel steady and say, “stay on the road. I don’t feel right about this.”

  


Eren jerks off his hand and continues exiting. “Uh, did you not notice the almost empty tank? We might as well pull off here before we’re stuck in the middle of the road.”

  


Levi looks at him. “Are you kidding? There are cars on the highway too. It’s not dark enough to rest, we can keep going.”

  


Eren ignores him, not knowing why Levi is so twitchy. This town seems exactly the same as the two before it. He veers right and into the downtown, bypassing some residential streets and stopping at the curb of a gas station.

  


“Listen, kid. I don’t know what sort of power trip you’re on to think that you’re in charge, but you best listen to me and get back on the road.” Levi sounds incredibly irritated and looks seconds away from shoving Eren out of the car. 

  


Eren shifts the truck into park and glares right back at the man. Is he really so unreliable that he can’t be trusted to pick a fucking town as a pitstop? “I get it, you’re in charge, but what exactly is your reason again? I’m not some idiot that listens to orders without question! So how about you tell me _why_ here is no good and maybe I’ll leave.”

  


Levi’s jaw is tight, clenching hard enough that Eren can almost hear his teeth grinding. “Fine, you think it’s fine, so everything’s fine! I concede to your years of experience in not dying outside the walls. Go ahead, I’ll stay here and wait for your glorious return.” 

  


And then he does exactly that. Leans back in the seat, puts away the map, and closes his eyes in a mockery of relaxation. Eren forcibly stops himself from yelling, but he does slam the door shut hard enough to rattle the truck and echo around the empty buildings. “What is his deal? Is that stick shoved so far up his ass that he can’t think anymore?”

  


A few more choice curses and a few blocks away, Eren finds some gas to take. Before he can kneel down and start, he hears a clatter. Definitely not something blown over by the wind. He stands up carefully then whips around to see who it is but no one is there. Even so, Eren doesn’t relax his guard, backing away slowly closer to where he parked and keeping a hand around his blade. And then he sees them. 

  


Almost a dozen, creeping past the golden arches of a fast food restaurant, their worn clothes barely covering their arms anymore, and their feet walking on shards of glass without a care. Attracted by the noise, their movements are jerky but swift and gaining speed, screeches rising into a chorus as over a dozen approach. Clickers. Eren abandons caution and sprints back to the truck. 

  


When he whips open the door, Levi is already up and in the driver’s seat, closest to the infected. “Other side, kid!”

  


There’s no time to argue and Eren doesn’t feel like it anyway. He races around the hood and slams into the other door, practically falling in, just in time for the infected to start hitting the truck. They must have heard him running and followed. One after another they hit the truck, rocking it as Levi tries to drive. Several are crowded in front, making forward progress slow and allowing more to pile on the sides. Levi curses wildly then starts rolling down the window. 

  


“What the fuck are you doing?” Eren screams.

  


“Got any better ideas?” Levi retorts as the window gets low enough for him to fire a few shots and stain the window with blood and scattered brain matter.

  


“No!” Eren lowers his window as well, stabbing through the eyes of the clickers that get too close. And then almost drops his knife when the truck jerks forward, likely over a body, and starts speeding up. At first the infected keep up, but then their limbs can’t move fast enough and they are left trailing behind in the town. Eren sinks down into the seat and lets out a huge sigh. For a few moments, it’s silent. Then a crash comes from behind and a hand breaks through the glass of the cab to grab Eren’s shirt and pull him back. He yells as his head hits the broken window and he stabs wildly at the arm that has a hold of him, his little knife not having much effect on the appendage. One of the infected must have still been on the truck bed, still trying to get them. 

  


Levi slams on the breaks and turns to cut off the hand that has a hold of Eren and then shoot the clicker through the hole in the glass. It goes down with a cry, still twitching before it stills. Eren stays rooted to the spot, heart still pounding, and unable to relax. He waits for the quiet again, and only when several minutes go by and they don’t see anything does he finally set down his knife, wiping it on the seat. He very carefully picks up the fallen hand and tosses it out the window. It was still warm.

  


Levi doesn’t say a word, and neither does Eren. His whole body is tense and he feels more frustrated than ever. He finally tries to show some independence, to show that he can help and as usual, it turns to shit. Levi was right, Eren should probably give up any more attempts because he’s just some idiot kid that doesn’t know anything. 

  


The sun beats down on them through the windshield and Eren bemoans the fact that it isn’t cooler. His sweat from the earlier ambush hadn’t cooled and he feels sticky all over. It isn't helping that they’re not going fast enough to get a breeze. He’s just sitting, stewing in the heat and the ramifications of his bad decisions. He almost feels like cheering when Levi stops in another town called Blairsville that night so he can finally get some distance from the other man. He doesn’t want to hear what he already knows. 

  


It’s dark enough that Levi just stops on a residential street and heads into one of the houses. After a quick check to make sure it’s secure, they both settle in the upstairs master bedroom. Eren’s bag lands on the floor with a bang but he doesn’t pay Levi’s glare any mind. He just whips off his shirt and uses his uninfected arm to wipe off some of the sweat gathering on his forehead. He gives up trying to cool down and just opens the window and falls back on the bed. “It’s hot as balls here.”

  


He gets no response so he tries again. “I said it’s hot as balls here.”

  


Levi snorts this time with no amusement. “I heard.”

  


“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

  


“I didn’t figure that needed a response.”

  


Eren sees Levi taking inventory of their medical supply kit at the foot of the bed and gets an idea. “I know, how about we find a tee shirt somewhere, and use some bandages to cover my arm. That way it’s covered and it won’t be that hot! That should last until fall actually feels like happening.”

  


He grins, missing the change in Levi’s expression, and grabs for the roll. Levi yanks it away and slams the kit shut. “What the fuck? Do you mind not snapping off my fingers?”

  


Levi sneers. “What on Earth do you think you’re doing _now_?”

  


“I just want to use some of the bandages, it won’t take much.” 

  


Levi looks incredulous. “It doesn’t matter _how much_ it takes, if it’s not an injury that leads to death or infection, any is too much.” 

  


“If it’s covering up the bite, that can _save_ our asses down the line. It already looks weird enough wearing a long sleeve in August.” 

  


“It’s almost September. And this is the first I’m hearing of this apparent hatred for long sleeves.” 

  


Eren stands up from the bed. “Why does it matter if it’s the first time, I’m saying it now! It’s hot as hell outside and I’d like to wear a goddamn tee shirt for once instead of sweating through it! I stink like shit, and I’m hot, and I’m tired, so excuse me for wanting a foot of our thirty feet of bandages to cover up the bite an infected gave me!” 

  


Levi sets aside the kit to stare Eren down. He had been ranting and pacing back and forth while yelling at Levi but he fell still under his venomous tone. “Excuse _you_? Excuse you for being a shitty little brat? Do you want to risk exposing the bite because it’s a little humid? Are you a child? What if we need it later? What if you wear it and it falls off? Do you think that people will see that shit and suddenly stop trying to kill you? And if they don’t try to kill you, who knows what kind of fucked up shit they might do to experiment on you! Do you even know the risks I’m taking dragging your ungrateful ass across the country? Are you that much of a reckless dumbass that you’ve abandoned all common sense?!” 

  


“Risks? You mean the exact same ones I’m taking traveling with you? And what do you mean, what if it gets out? I’ve never told anyone, like _you told me to_ , and you go blabbing off to Hanji the first chance you get! If anything, _you’re_ the one I have to worry about! What if you die when you’re pulling your one-man act taking down an army of clickers and I’m left alone, who gives a shit if I’m immune if I can’t even _find_ the Fireflies! And yeah, I take risks, but how the fuck was I supposed to know that there were infected there! Was there a sign I missed? Or are you just so all-knowing that us mere humans can’t hope to live up to it?!” 

  


Eren’s ranting and on a roll now, airing all his grievances. “I’m depending on you and you can’t even bother listening to me or treating me like anything more than a disobedient puppy! You’re such a goddamn control freak! You can do whatever the fuck you want, but me? Oh no, it’s ‘yes sir,’ ‘yes sir,’ ‘yes sir’ no matter what I want unless you feel gracious enough to allow me! I’ve been following you around this whole time doing nothing but what you say, and anytime that I want to do goddamn _anything_ it’s _no_ for no other reason than because you said so!” 

  


Eren’s heaving with anger, with humiliation for letting it all out like that, yelling at Levi while Levi just looks infuriated at his brazen attitude. He looks about to retort but then they both hear banging outside. The two of them freeze, then Levi leans against the wall to peer out the window. Eren doesn’t breathe until Levi relaxes, turning back to Eren and gesturing at him to look outside. It’s two stray dogs fighting over the carcass of a skunk. One of them had crashed into a metal trash can. Now that Eren’s not screaming, they can both hear the growls and thumps. There’s silence between them again. 

  


Levi sighs, sits back down on the bed and pinches his nose. His anger must have dispersed with his breath. Still looking down, he asks, “what’s this about, kid?” 

  


“Eren.” 

  


Levi looks up. “What?” 

  


“My name isn’t ‘kid’, it’s Eren. I don’t think kids last very long in this world.” 

  


Levi has a bit of dark humor in his eyes, and he’s rubbing his arm like it hurts. “No, they don’t.” 

  


Levi is still staring and Eren can’t hold his gaze.

  


“Eren…” he says as if trying it out, “What’s this about?” 

  


Eren debates telling him that he’s a child like Levi thought. He messed up and almost got them both killed because he was too proud to listen to Levi’s judgement. And that he just doesn’t want this to be over. And if Ilse Langnar really is there and really can help, he’ll be stuck again. And Eren doesn’t want that. Because even Levi is a control freak who rushes into battle and tells his friend what he told Eren not to, he’s more. 

  


Levi likes being in control because he’s lived his life before and after the outbreak and knows more than Eren on how to survive. Levi rushes into battle because he has the talent to back it up and he doesn’t want to risk Eren getting hurt. And yes, Levi told Hanji, but even Eren could tell that they would never hurt him with that information, and Levi has known them for years. Eren knows that he can’t tell Levi that he likes traveling outside with him and being some lab rat isn’t something he wants nearly as much as continuing this trip. So instead he tells a different truth. “Do you think Doctor Langnar can even find a cure? She’s a mycologist, not a biologist even if the disease is some kind of fungus. I don’t want us to be risking our asses for a bad lead.” 

  


Levi hesitates, questioning if that’s really the issue before he says, “I don’t know…but whether she can or can’t, wondering about it here won’t help.” And him saying that shouldn’t help, but it does in a way. Eren has a tendency to get stuck in his head, and Levi has never been one to pull his punches with what he says. 

  


Eren sits down on the bed next to him, eyes focused on his lap. “You must not worry very much.” 

  


Levi sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I worry about what I can change. And if there’s a cure, it won’t be me who finds it. Our goal is to find someone who can find answers. Speculation won’t change the end goal or the final result.” 

  


At that, Eren lets out a surprised chuckle. “You don’t comfort very many people either do you?”

  


“…Not many.”

  


*****

  


Eren can’t sleep that night, though that’s nothing new. His restless sleeping habits have become a recent habit that he can’t quite shake. His mind is turning over what Levi said. He knows it’s wrong but he can’t help hoping they can’t find the doctor or that she can’t help. Because then he and Levi would have to stick together and go back on the road again. At least until a little later until they can find the Fireflies. And does that make him a horrible person? To not want a cure as soon as possible so that he can have a few more weeks like this? He’s lived his whole life like a scared animal, running from threats or trapped behind walls. This is the first time he’s ever truly been free. And the more he sees of the world, the more he wants to see. 

  


At the same time, the more danger he goes through and the more people he loses, the more he knows he needs to find the cure. He owes it to the world, even though the world had never done anything for him. But the past few days feel like a lifetime, and he doesn’t want to give up on traveling with Levi. Acerbic asshole though he may be, he’s reliable and not a bad guy to have around. He doesn’t want to be dropped off with another group of strangers and never see the man again. It’s the last thought he remembers before being woken up with a hand on his shoulder. 

  


Levi looks as composed as ever sitting on the bed beside him and if Eren hadn’t seen the proof for himself, he would have assumed that the man never slept at all. But he does feel guilty about not taking watch again.

  


Levi doesn’t seem to mind when he brings it up. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t sleep much anyway. If I’m about to collapse, I’ll let you know. But best get ready, we’ll be in Pittsburgh later today if there aren’t any issues.”

  


Eren’s eyes widen and Levi’s face looks a little less harsh at his expression.

  


“Don’t shit yourself, ki-Eren.” Levi corrects. 

  


And Eren has to roll his eyes and turn away so that Levi can’t see how just Levi saying his name has him blushing like a school girl. It sounds oddly intimate after all the times of being called ‘kid.’ He rolls out of bed, grabs his bag, and stands up. “Let’s go then.” 

  


Levi just stares at him. Eren is confused, he touches his face and looks down, oh. 

  


“Shirt, Eren.” 

  


And he can’t hide that blush now. “…Right, shirt.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was bound to happen. Eren isn't a blind follower and Levi (for all his many, many gifts) is not exactly great at communication for those that don't know him well. And even then, really. So them finally fighting was such a relief to me, as they both got to let off a little tension and air their grievances. No partnership (romantic or otherwise) can really work well if both sides can't be honest or be equal, imho.
> 
> The next chapter might take a little longer, I'm on call at work for the next two weeks! ;_;


	8. Pittsburgh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, and thank you to everyone for being so patient! It feels so good to finally get this chapter out! And I know it's late, but I hope that my fellow Americans had a wonderful Thanksgiving and all the non-Americans had a wonderful Thursday! :) :) :)
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated, I'd love to know what you think!

The next morning, Eren doesn’t race Levi to be the driver. Seeing him wait at the door while covering a yawn, Levi only raises an eyebrow before climbing in, leaving Eren to be shotgun. The older man doesn’t say anything about his change in attitude, pulling away and back onto the highway in silence.

 

For some reason, after Eren’s big tantrum and the subsequent fight they had, the mood feels easier between them. It’s not like anything really changed, but the silence is an enjoyable one they share as the sun rises, bereft of the tension that had been thick in the air the last time they were in the truck together. 

 

Eren tries to entertain himself, rereading the best chapters from his comics again before giving up with a dramatically loud sigh which Levi ignores. An idle tune makes its way into his head, the same one that Hannes used to sing when he was drunk. Which was admittedly most of the time, but Eren did like to listen. Despite the drink, his voice was clear, interspersed with a few words when he could remember them. It was a simple melody, probably the chorus to a long forgotten song but it still sticks in his head years after the first time he heard it. 

 

Eren tries and fails once again to whistle it, something seeming off. Why can’t he remember it right? Realizing that relying on his own musical talents would probably take years, Eren suddenly remembers one of the things he found the day they left Hanji’s Town. Levi glances over at him rummaging madly through his backpack. “What are you doing?”

 

Eren doesn’t reply, only triumphantly holding up the CD that he had taken from the glove box earlier and forgotten about. Levi gives it a look and reads out in a dry tone, “Hank’s Birthday Bash?”

 

Eren laughs at his expression. “Exactly! I have no idea what’s on here, but I figured that it’d be worth a shot to finally get some music! That’s the radio, right? It looks a little different, but we had a CD player back at the dorm so I thought it’d work the same.” 

 

Giddy, but not knowing what to expect, Eren slides in the disc and turns the volume up as loud as it can go. 

 

For a beat, there’s a silence when Levi mutters, “how do you find all this shit?”

 

Then the [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUQcnfwUUM) starts. It’s a lighthearted sort of sound-bouncy-if Eren had to use a word to describe it, but it’s pleasant. Almost ridiculous in its simplicity. What’s even better is the face Levi makes once he recognizes it. 

 

The man drops his head onto the steering wheel and lets out a groan. “How on Earth, out of all the songs that could have been found, did you find _this_?”

 

And that just makes the song even better in Eren’s mind. It’s fun getting a reaction out of Levi. He turns the case over to the back and sees a list of the songs included, wondering if Levi knows all of them. 

 

Eren hums along and sort of wiggles in his seat in place of a dance. “I don’t know, Levi, it seems like there’s plenty of winners here. Let’s give them a shot, huh?”

 

And so they do. While Levi looks nothing but resigned in the beginning, as they make their way through the tracks with each sounding completely different from the last, the other man’s face relaxes from his scowl and his arms hang looser on the wheel. One song even has his finger tapping along the wheel in time as he covers his mouth with his fist, resting his elbow and head against the window. Eren tries to remember which one it was. When he flips the case over to check, a note from the front slips out. 

 

_Hey Dad, you didn’t think I get you a new stereo in that rusty old truck without some tunes to go with it, did you? Here’s to a happy 62nd, may your morning commute be filled with all the hits you love and made me love too! Love, Jess._

 

Eren swallows hard and pauses for a moment before tucking the note safely back in. “You know,” he begins, as the song fades out right into a rock and roll ballad. “I’m actually pretty happy you’re driving today.”

 

Noting his pause, Levi plays along. “Why’s that?”

 

“Well…” he lets the sound drag out. "If I were driving, I couldn’t do this!” 

 

At the chorus, Eren suddenly moves his arms in a pantomime of holding a guitar, sliding his hand up and down, and pretending to pluck at the strings. It’s something that Mina’s brother used to do all the time the year they were roommates and of course, Eren fell in love with it too. They used to hold competitions with all the other boys in the dorm and Eren had won for three weeks in a row before he was bitten. He’d always get immersed with the song, blocking out everything else in the world. Eren could almost pretend he actually knew how to play, headbanging along with the beat. 

 

“You are one strange kid, you know that?”

 

Eren switches over to fake drums on the dashboard and grins. “Nah, I think I’m growing on you.”

 

Levi doesn’t deny it, only turning up the volume so Eren can finish the song. When the next track slows into a ballad, Eren relaxes and leans back into the seat again, feeling accomplished. If nothing else, “Hank’s Birthday Bash” was a nice reminder of what life was like before, a spot of levity in the hellish journey they’d had so far. 

 

“Hey Levi,” Eren starts. 

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Do you think Pittsburgh is a still quarantine? I know a lot of the major cities were made into them, but I also heard that not all of them lasted.”

 

Levi huffs out a breath and smooths back his hair before answering. “I don’t know any more than you do. I haven’t been around this area much and there’s no guarantee of anything. We might have to break in, it might be barely standing up, or it might be a ghost town. Point is, you need to be ready for whatever the situation is. We won’t be rushing in.”

 

Eren nods, expecting that to be the end. But to his surprise, Levi turns down the music and continues on. His eyes stayed locked on the road ahead, but that doesn’t help the impression Eren feels of being scrutinized. It’s something about his tone that makes Eren drop his head.

 

“…Look, Eren, I know that you’ve been anxious to help and I can respect that, but you have to trust me when I say you not fighting is our best case scenario. It’s my job to keep you safe, and that’s not me patronizing you or looking down on any ability you have. That’s me making sure you get to the Fireflies in one piece. A lot easier to do when you aren’t torn to shreds. So I’m going to run through this one more time: If I say to stay down, what do you do?”

 

Eren mutters to his lap. “I stay down.”

 

“If I say to run away, what do you do?”

 

“I run away.”

 

Levi shoots him a look, assessing. “And if I say, I need you to give me cover with that bow of yours, what do you do?”

 

Eren looks up, eyes bright. He tries to convey as much confidence in his words as possible when he responds, “I give you cover.”

 

Levi nods, ending the conversation and turning the volume back up. The two of them listen to the CD twice through and are on their third round through when Eren starts seeing signs for Pittsburgh. He turns off the music, anticipation building at their arrival. Anticipation which quickly tapers off when neither of them sees signs of a running quarantine. No drivers on patrol, no sentries on high buildings, no noise of too many people in a crowded area. There don’t even seem to be fences let alone walls that block the highway. 

 

Whatever is going on in the city, it’s safe to say that it won’t be like Boston. With no impediments, they easily reach a split on the highway, with one path for the city and one to go around it and Levi slows down. At first, Eren thinks it’s to maneuver easier around the increased amount of cars piled up, but then Levi stops the truck completely. 

 

“What’s wrong, aren’t we going there anyway?” 

 

Levi’s eyes narrow and he points out the two exits they can take. “Look. The path hasn’t always been perfect, but it at least been clear enough to drive through. But those cars are intentionally blocking that exit around the city. Stay alert.” 

 

Eren studies the cars on the other exit, noticing for the first time the way some are sideways, and turned around, with no accidental gaps as opposed to the normal mess of an overpopulated road. Usually, all cars are facing out in the same direction. Levi drives slowly into the city and Eren sits up, keeping a close eye on the area the further downtown they get. 

 

Pittsburgh is really the first major city other than Boston he’s ever been through in years. The last time was when their whole family was making their way east from Montana. But it’s odd, there’s a river around the downtown and several bridges as points of entry. There are no walls cordoning off a section of the city, and it’s far more open than a quarantine zone would ever be. 

 

It almost seems like Pittsburgh was never a quarantine at all if it weren’t for the remnants left suggesting it was once such up as one. Signs for testing and refugees, a poster listing curfews and laws, even a sign listing the part of the city they’re in as Sector 2. Eren almost smiles. Even hundreds of miles apart, the military’s naming capabilities won’t change. 

 

As Levi drives closer into downtown, Eren keeps an eye out for any infected. There are still some more blocked side streets and the occasional wired fence from at least fifteen years ago, but it may just be like Levi said: a ghost town. Eren checks the note that Hanji left them again with approximate directions to Dr. Ilse Langnar’s office, trying to estimate how long it will take to arrive.

 

The roads seem fairly clear and there are no signs of bombing so it should be a pretty easy trip if all stays as planned. Nothing seems out of place until a few blocks later when a man stumbles out in front of the truck, almost falling down in their path. Levi nearly slams on the brakes on account of this man coming out of practically nowhere and Eren hisses as the seatbelt digs into his neck. He must have been resting against that sedan with the raised hood, blocking him from their sight until now. 

 

With effort, the man in front of them holds himself upright again and lifts one wavering hand up to catch their attention. He looks to be in his late thirties, clothed in a dirt-coated tee shirt, but healthy if you disregard the large red stain on his abdomen. His other hand clutches tight, applying pressure to stop the bleeding, and his voice is hoarse when he calls out to them to stop. “Please, help me!” 

 

Eren sees the man’s relief at their arrival and looks to Levi as he slows the truck less than twenty feet away, ready to ask him if they can stop. But without turning his head, Levi cuts him off. “Hold on.” 

 

Hold on? They’re just going to ignore him? Irritation slips through his voice as he says, “But he needs help!” 

 

Levi grits his teeth, a stronger accent once again slipping out in his frustration. “He ain’t even injured.” 

 

Then he floors the truck and now Eren realizes why he said to hold on. The pickup isn’t great, but when they’re going, they’re going strong and Eren’s head is slammed into the headrest with a bang by the sudden acceleration. He’s is ready to scream at Levi for ignoring him when the injured man stands up without any issue at all. He pulls a gun and starts firing at their windshield when he realizes they aren’t stopping to help.

 

“Duck!” Levi yells as a bullet goes through, embedding itself right by Eren’s head. More men are jumping out from behind cars and side streets, guns at the ready. An ambush to prey on those like Eren, who would have helped. Their windshield is quickly splintered and a side mirror is shot off but Levi powers right through, running down anyone in his way. Even when some of the bullets hit one of the back tires, slowing them down with a jolt. 

 

Eren’s heart is racing, but blown tire or not, their truck is still faster than men on foot. At least in the short run. The men quickly fall behind as Levi speeds through the city. He’s leaning over the dash, trying to see clearly through the broken glass before cursing the effort and shooting out a hole himself. Eren ducks from the shattered glass but is grateful when there’s a clearer visual in front of them. 

 

“What the fuck was that?”

 

Levi scowls. “If we’re lucky, just uppity bandits.”

 

“Lucky?” Eren lets out a sarcastic laugh. “And if we’re not?”

 

“Hunters.”

 

Well, shit. That doesn’t sound good. Eren doesn’t have the time or inclination to question further. The truck makes it a few blocks down into a major intersection before they hit another barricade and have to stop. There’s a pileup of cars against an already present concrete barrier in front of them, chain link fencing to their left, and more cars and even a bus blocking the way to their right. With the tire the way it is, they likely can’t force the truck on a more dangerous path without it failing for good. 

 

Eren breathes through his panic, looking out the back to see the men still chasing after them. It’s obvious they were the ones to set up this barricade as well, and they aren’t far behind. One of them yells but Eren can’t determine what was said, only focused now on Levi’s face, waiting for the man to come up with a miracle plan to get them out of this mess.

 

Levi turns to Eren, but whatever he’s about to say is cut off as his eyes widen and instead what comes out is a warning of, “Look out!”

 

His cry comes too late, as the bus blocking their path to the right suddenly creaks as it falls and rolls down the incline, gaining speed as it hurtles straight towards their truck. Eren barely has time to brace himself before it crashes into the passenger side, sending the truck skidding across the intersection and into the glass storefront of a shop. Their slide comes to an abrupt end as they smack into the back wall, this time on Levi’s side. 

 

Eren’s grip on his seat falters at the impact and his head is ringing, but even he knows they need to get out. Unfortunately, his feet aren’t responding to repeated entreaties to move. He’ll be fine if only his head would stop spinning. Blinking rapidly, Eren tries to get his bearings. He’s in the truck, in a store. Probably a bookstore, judging by the shelving and books that have landed on their windshield. The bus had hit them but luckily had not crashed through the store as well so they weren’t pinned completely. Had the bandits done this too? Were they coming soon? Too caught up in trying to focus, it takes several calls of his name before Eren registers Levi’s voice. 

 

His hand grabs Eren’s wrist, but lets go immediately at his wince. It’s bruised, most likely sprained, but they don’t have time to care about that now. 

 

“Eren?” 

 

Eren tries to keep focused on Levi, but it still takes him a few precious seconds to respond. “…I think I’m gonna puke.”

 

Levi’s hands come up to cup his face, keeping their eyes locked. “I need you to listen to me. Eren, we need to get out. Do you hear me? We need to leave _right now_. My door is blocked, I’m up against the wall here. I’m going to have to follow you out, but you need to move. Okay?”

 

“Yeah…yeah, okay.” Eren jerks his head back from Levi’s grip and then immediately regrets it. Trying not to vomit or pass out, he fumbles with his seatbelt and grabs the latch to get out of the truck. It’s jammed, probably from the impact of the bus. With only one other option, Eren slides back along the bench seat leaning against Levi and kicks at the door. Once, twice, three times, with only a groan in the metal. 

 

Levi helps him prop himself up, his chest to Eren’s back to hold him steady. “Come on Eren, kick the damn thing!”

 

With better support, Eren tries again, making progress as the door slowly creaks open. One more kick and it falls to the floor with a bang. Eren scoots forward and almost falls rather than jumps down to the ground. An arm comes out to hold him up, and instinctively Eren wants to say thank you. That is until he looks up into the man’s face, the same one who had played injured before. A steadying hand has now become a vise grip on his arm.

 

Not-injured guy smirks, and without even a two-bit villain one-liner, drags him the rest of the way up and away from the truck. Eren curses and struggles, but even he knows that his kicks are weak, and punches aren’t nearly as effective when his fists are easily caught and held behind his back. He winces as his wrist is held tightly. More of the bandits have shown up, all with various weapons, but the same leers on their faces. Before Eren can start to struggle again, another man steps forward to hold him back as well. Levi probably already knows somethings wrong, but just in case, he yells a warning. “Levi! They’re here!”

 

Everyone in the group laughs, and they chorus along in a high pitched tune. “ _Levi, they’re here!”_

 

Bucking against the hands holding him down, Eren tries to think of a way out of this mess. Why had Levi not gotten out of the truck yet? And why are they not attacking? One of the men steps forward, lazily raising his gun before approaching the truck. 

 

He’s younger-cocky-and probably thinks that with his gun, one lone man hiding in his truck will be an easy target. Eren is prepared to bet that he is not the first man to underestimate Levi. The bandit has only a second to realize his mistake before there’s a bullet between his eyes and Levi jumps over his body to rip Eren away from the others. He’s pulled along deeper into the store near the back and as far away from the bandits as they can get before they can recover from their surprise. 

 

Eren takes a moment to wonder why Levi didn’t just fight them off, but his own question is answered by the shouts and ricocheting glass of angry men with guns as more arrive to help. There have to be at least nine or ten now. The two of them crouch down behind some shelves and Levi passes Eren his backpack. He must have been trying to get all of their supplies before leaving the truck. 

 

Eren nods in thanks, quickly securing it on his back and unhooking his bow. He’s about to draw back, but Levi shakes his head and motions for him to stay down. Eren grabs his arm, and something in his gaze must convince Levi at least a little because he relents and points to a counter in an alcove with two registers. It’s on a raised dais and should offer a better perspective on the store. Eren makes his way there instead and leaves the floor to Levi. 

 

It’s difficult, trying to navigate the rubble and find coverage while avoiding the eyes of the bandits. More have been called over by this point and Eren only barely makes it to the cash register. It’s on a platform, giving him a little better of a perspective, but he still can’t catch sight of where Levi disappeared to. 

 

So he stays, tucked in the security behind the counter and peeking out between the gap in the registers just waiting for Levi’s signal to take a shot. At first, he doesn’t notice, but then one of the bandits who had been behind a bookshelf doesn’t walk out the other side. Then another climbs over a sofa and doesn’t get back up again. Only when his eyes are trained solely on the couch does he see Levi dart to the side, bloody knife in hand and into cover once more. 

 

Eren is so absorbed trying to follow Levi’s movements that, like an idiot, he completely forgets to cover his own back. All the warning he gets is a heavy boot crinkling on a fallen newspaper and he whirls around to see a tall man in a faded wifebeater with a tire iron in hand. Eren thinks quick and shoots an arrow that hits the man’s arm, and he drops his weapon. Furious at the pain, he swings out a punch. Eren ducks under his arm and lunges forward to push him down with a crash, throwing the tire iron dropped beside them into the far corner. Stealth be damned, he’s no good at it anyway. 

 

They’re probably making too much noise and by now the element of surprise is gone, but at the moment, Eren can only trust in Levi to keep them occupied. Eren gets a few punches in, but when he reaches down for his knife, the man unseats him and flips him over onto his back. 

 

For a skinny guy, he’s pretty strong and Eren is still startled from the change when hands start clenching around his throat. The man is very clearly using all his strength to cut off his air and all he has are a few gasps before he can’t breathe anymore. Eren knows that the timer has started. He only has seconds to make this count. The grip is tight, but Eren is a fighter and he uses everything he can to buck this guy off. He’s currently sitting on his stomach so Eren runs all the lessons in hand to hand he can remember through his head.

 

A punch to the kidney to distract him, a punch to the throat to leave him short of breath, and then Eren bucks his hips up to unseat him. At the man falters, Eren stabilizes his right foot and rolls him over so that now he’s on his back and Eren is on top of him. The man still looks confused by the change in events, even when Eren’s blade slides through his throat, right where he had punched before. 

 

The guy’s eyes widen and an involuntary cough sprays blood onto Eren’s face. Eren doesn’t bother wiping it away before stabbing down once more, to make absolutely sure he’s dead. When the only breath heard is his panting, Eren slides off the man’s body to rest his back on the cabinets along the wall. Eren can feel his head getting even hazier now and he can’t quite grip his switchblade as securely as he’d like when he tries to wipe it down on the man’s grimy shirt. He counts to ten before trying to stand up, only now hearing the sounds of fighting happening around him.

 

Eren rises to shaky legs, and coughs, still heaving in struggling breaths. He barely registers the cry of another bandit in red yelling, “you bastard!” as he races towards him. This man is shorter but he carries a knife. If Eren could just find something longer, he could keep him out of his range and away from the blade. Like the tire iron that was discarded before. If given enough time, Eren could fend off the red shirt guy’s attacks and get to that!

 

For now, Eren holds out his own blade in warning, but contrary to his plans, he quickly falls to the side relying on the counter to support him. He blinks bleary eyes, trying to stay focused as the man gets closer. If nothing else, he might be able to dodge for a bit and grab that tire iron to get away from his knife. An arm’s length away, the man falls to the ground, two spots of red blooming across his body. 

 

In a flash, Eren practically collapses on the man to grab his knife and backs away to his spot against the counter. He looks down to the floor below to see Levi turning away from them, using the same gun to shoot a guy who tried to sneak attack him in the moment of distraction. It doesn’t work. 

 

For all of Levi’s talent, for all it’s obvious that his skills had been honed in real life and death danger, Eren is still surprised at his surprise. He doesn’t know why, but he never really considered Levi out in the world killing people as much as killing infected. He can’t think that any longer. Against a large group of men, experienced in working together to take down their target, he moves with ease. Not a step taken in error, not a single bullet wasted. Even when they all circle around him. 

 

When the bullets for his current gun runs out, he uses it as a projectile, hitting the head of a man who got too close and stunning him for a moment for Levi to slit his neck. Before the man collapses in a pool of blood, Levi darts out of the opening he created to take cover behind a bookshelf.

 

While Levi is in hiding, Eren examines the knife the red shirt man had just in case. It’s sturdy and far more impressive than his own blade, so he tucks it away for later use. Quickly, he peeks over the counter again to check on the situation. There are only three men left. And they are pissed. Clearly, by this point they no longer care about taking supplies or whatever the hell they originally wanted. They’re out for blood now. Unfortunately, with Levi as their opponent, blood is what they’ll get…only not as they thought.

 

Eren is itching to join in, but he’s not a total idiot. He’s woozy and not that steady on his feet right now. His breath still hasn’t come back to him in full, his wrist is sprained, and he might even have a mild concussion to boot. Getting involved would do nothing but create another target that Levi has to protect. Staying away from the action is his best option, annoying as the idea is. 

 

It helps that there doesn’t seem to be much cause for concern leaving Levi alone. One by one, he takes them down without any hesitation. The men’s earlier confidence is clearly waning, only three against one and they are feeling outnumbered. From his cover, Eren manages to fire an arrow at the third man. He turns suddenly so it’s not right on target, hitting his shoulder instead of his heart, but it’s still a distraction. Eren drops to the floor once more, hoping he gave Levi enough wiggle room. 

 

A few grunts of exertion can be heard as Levi must be fighting hand to hand now and then comes the unmistakable wet gurgle of another throat slit. It could have been minutes. It could have been seconds. But all Eren knows is that when he opens his eyes again, Levi is in front of him. 

 

His face has a spray of blood across his cheekbones and the collar of his shirt is ripped, but he looks otherwise unharmed. Eren grins, knowing that it probably isn’t very pretty with his eyes bloodshot and body covered in bruises, but he can’t help it. His voice comes out scratchy, but still comprehensible. “Did you get them all?”

 

Levi’s eyes study him, like a touch as he catalogs ever ailment he can see. “I got them.” 

 

“Great.” A pause while Eren tries to collect his thoughts. “Now what?”

 

“Now we run. It’s pretty obvious these men were prepared, and we don’t know if any more are coming. Can you stand?”

 

Stilly wobbly getting up, but he can stand just fine. “I’m good.”

 

Without another word, Levi leads the way out of the bookstore they were in and back to the intersection that was all blocked off. He gets down on one knee to boost Eren up on top of the pile of cars and Eren pulls him up in turn. Once they drop down on the other side, they both hesitate, scanning the area for any more men to come out of hiding. 

 

It’s Levi who moves first, checking a street sign, then darting down a side alley and into a building. Eren follows him up the stairs, knowing that he’s going to check their location and situation from higher ground. 

 

Eren waits for a moment after the thought arises before asking.“How did you know?” 

 

Levi doesn’t look back, focused on climbing the stairs over broken glass and scattered debris. “Know what?”

 

Voice unsure, Eren responds. “Know that that man was faking it.” 

 

It’s quiet long enough that Eren thinks Levi has just chosen not to answer as he has before on questions he doesn’t like. But then he does, voice carefully free of any emotion when he says. “I’ve fallen into the trap before….I’ve laid it too.” 

 

“Oh.” 

 

Another floor up and they find that access to the roof is blocked off by a pile of rubble. While Levi checks out to see if there’s a way up, Eren looks for a door on a lower level that hasn’t been blocked off. He jiggles the doorknob to no avail and is ready to move on, but Levi’s hand on his arm stops him. After a moment, Levi just slams into the door, opening it with a grunt of effort. 

 

It’s not a small room by any means, but the piles and piles of shoes laid in veritable mountains alongside lockers on every wall make it feel even smaller. It seems to be a storage room, scattered ammo and alcohol along with the shoes on the floor. Probably spoils of the bandits they ran into earlier. 

 

Thinking of how long he’s had the boots he’s currently wearing, Eren starts sorting through the shoes on the ground looking for a pair that might fit. One boot looks just his size and he sets it next to him while he looks to find the pair. He does it mindlessly until he finds a sneaker that’s barely bigger than the size of his hand. 

 

Eren is ready to toss it aside as being far too small until he realizes what that means. Those men, they weren’t killers just to kill. They wanted their supplies. And these shoes, the ones left to rot in a storage room just outside the barricade? They’re worn, or ripped, or…small. Women’s and children’s sizes. None that would fit the men in this gang. 

 

It shouldn’t surprise him. And it doesn’t really. This is not the first time that Eren has been in contact with the darker, greedier side of humanity. With the kind of people that don’t hesitate to take advantage of those struggling to survive. It’s just a grim reminder that he didn’t want to have. So he keeps his eyes focused on the sneaker in his hand with a cartoon character on the side, to force himself not to search for the other boot that he’s almost certain will fit. His aren’t in pristine condition anymore and they won’t last forever, but will taking this pair really be any different from the actions of the bandits?

 

No, Eren realizes, this is what Levi meant by “hunters.” They don’t attack if given a lucky chance. They kill by routine. Eren didn’t kill the boy who wore these. He didn’t strip his body of any supplies and then throw them away when his feet couldn’t fit. He is not a monster like them. He tries to justify it to himself as his hand reaches out to grab them but he stops when Levi’s bag drops to the floor with a thump. 

 

Eren turns his head to see Levi either ignoring or not concerned with the shoes as he combs through a supply cabinet, searching for anything useful. He doesn’t seem bothered by the evidence that the trap they escaped had been very successful before. And very often. 

 

These were innocent people, probably just in the city for food or weapons. Like him. Like Levi. Like the people Levi must have tricked. Eren shakes his head and tries to stop that thought in its tracks. Levi may be many things, but he is not such a sadistic, evil man. He’s a good person, gruff personality and blunt tongue aside. He had to have had his reasons. 

 

Caught in his thoughts, Eren stands still as Levi works through each shelf, eyes narrowed on the sneakers. He doesn’t respond when Levi stands up again, only follows him out the door opposite of the one they broke in through. They reach a hallway with a wall of windows offering a nice perspective of the city to see any sign of infected or bandits. Nothing stands out, which means that there aren’t that many, or they’re very good. Judging from the trap they laid earlier, Eren’s inclined to believe the latter. Despite getting taken down by Levi, it takes skills to plan something like that. And if the shoes are any indication, it had worked pretty well so far. 

 

*****

 

Levi had said that they needed a better place to survey the city so an hour later he and Eren stake themselves out on a rooftop six stories high to get a better vantage point. No longer on the outskirts, it’s easy to tell that this city is not dead. With it being midday, there’s an easy view of even more barricades and smoke trails scattered throughout. After a few minutes studying the area, Levi turns to Eren and asks, “so what do we know so far from what we’ve seen?”

 

Feeling like he’s suddenly received a pop quiz, Eren straightens and goes over everything he took note of. “There aren’t any walls here like Boston and no sign of a military patrol. That must mean that the city hasn’t been a martial law quarantine for some time now, most likely years if the border was never fully established. There are remnants of evacuation lines and triage set up, so it’s likely that the city was hit hard, but with time to prepare. That means whoever lives here are most likely those who are originally from here. No point leaving if you’ve set up a base.” 

 

Seeing Levi not object to his theories, Eren continues. “The fact that a trap had been laid with appropriate contingencies says that the group of bandits had time to plan. They also had a level of comfort in the city to build barricades and hide out for someone to come. That means that they’re well-established here and are either the original residents or a roving gang that set up here and hasn’t left in at least several months.

 

“They have a network set up, how else could one group chasing us coordinate so easily with another unit ahead of us to push down the bus? And for them to block off an entire point of entry, that means they either have other teams spread throughout the city or they are powerful enough to crush opposition from others living here.

 

“The entire time we’ve been here, we haven’t seen any infected. If there aren’t any infected in what was once a major metropolitan area, that must mean that someone or a group of someones has been killing them. Judging by the set up so far, it’s likely that these guys have regular patrols both for identifying targets, and ridding their zones of infected.”

 

Eren pauses, considering the pile of shoes again. “They also seemed not to want to kill us out of anger, but need. I mean, they definitely didn’t seem upset about it, but it was less of a ‘get rid of the trespassers’ and more of a ‘take all their things’ sort of deal. When their group first formed, it may have even started out as protecting the city as their home, but now, they don’t seem to see outsiders as people.”

 

Levi nods. “Not bad. Now, what does that mean for us?”

 

“It means, we’re not just avoiding infected, we have to work around intelligent enemies that have an incentive to kill us. Especially now that we’ve killed some of them.”

 

“That’s right. Our goal is to find the doctor’s office, if not the doctor herself. But unless she’s become a Hunter, we’re gonna have to consider the idea that it’s a dead end already.”

 

Seeing Eren’s mouth begin to protest, Levi cuts him off. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to try, I just don’t want you getting your hopes up. Now, the university is a few miles that way, so our priority is getting outside of the downtown area without running into many more of these fuckers. Do you see any areas we should avoid?”

 

In the midday sun, it’s easy to point out the smoke rising about a dozen blocks away. “There.”

 

“And?”

 

“Uh…major intersections?” Eren searches Levi’s face for any hint of a clue, without seeing much. Grateful as he is that Levi is finally letting him help, being the one to give opinions that could mean either life or death is daunting, to say the least. 

 

Levi prompts, “So how do we proceed?”

 

“…Stay off the roads as much as possible, stick to the rooftops or abandoned alleys to avoid a higher possibility of running into them. Keeping the high ground is also an advantage.”

 

Levi crept closer to the edge of the roof to judge the distance of the next building. “Not a bad idea, but not necessarily the most practical either. We don’t know the area, and the buildings aren’t consistently attached. We’d have to be on the streets at some point or another.”

 

Eren acknowledged the point. He’d gotten used to running across the tops of the buildings in Boston and didn’t consider the lack of familiarity Pittsburgh would offer. “Well, which direction are we heading anyway?”

 

“That way,” Levi pointed. “A few dozen blocks if what Hanji said is right. But that’s the university. And schools should usually be avoided because a lot of infected tend to gather there. Especially at colleges. Too many kids stuck there when the infection spread.”

 

“Right. We’re still going to check it out though?”

 

Levi heaved a weary sigh. “Yeah, we’re still going to check it out. But if there’s any sign of it being a bad situation, we’re getting the fuck out of here. There’s no point staying in a city overrun with Hunters like this.” 

 

“Hey, you’re not gonna hear me arguing that.”

 

“No point wasting daylight.” Levi gave himself some space and then jumped across to the next rooftop. Eren isn’t far behind, landing much steadier than expected. 

 

It’s slow progress, but much faster than it would have been on the streets. Several times, Levi and he have to lay down flat to avoid more hunters. Eren is not happy to be proven right about various crews performing patrols. They’ve seen teams of two and they’ve seen crews of a dozen at once. Men and women, mainly in their twenties to forties, crawling over cars and checking inside stores for any stragglers or infected. Altogether, there must be at least a hundred.

 

And with each person they see, Levi’s face gets even grimmer. Eren decides to ask. “What’s wrong?”

 

Levi’s lip curls as he watches a woman setting up an explosion tripwire. “They’re organized.”

 

“Yeah? But we knew that.”

 

Levi doesn’t elaborate, and Eren goes back to scanning for an all-clear to get to the next building. Eventually, as expected, both of them reach a building without another place to jump. There are no fire escapes to use, all the offices around it are taller, and there is an open intersection below. With no other option, they both decide to use the stairs down to the street. 

 

Eren is just about to open the door to the lobby when Levi grabs his arm to stop him. Immediately, Eren tenses, listening for whatever Levi must have heard to put him on guard. It’s a motor, like from a car. They’ve seen a couple so far and the idea that the Hunters are stocked well enough for gas and maintenance of multiple vehicles does not bode well for them. They wait for twenty minutes before Eren cautiously opens the door.

 

He can’t hear anything more but even so his steps are careful, eyes constantly scanning the area. Before he leaves the building, Levi holds him back so he can exit first. Step by step, he walks confidently but with no small measure of wariness. In the end, is doesn’t matter how many precautions they take. In the end, it comes down to simple bad luck. 

 

Just as they walk outside, across the street a young couple burst out of the doors of a hotel, running as if their lives depend on it. The woman’s bright blonde hair is falling out of a ponytail and she is dragging the man who limps as he runs. Both have major bloodstains. Eren and Levi don’t have time to take cover before the Hunters come out as well, roaring with laughter. The couple is gunned down without pause and the crew of four take stock of their location to make sure no one else claims the prize. 

 

Both groups freeze when their eyes meet. Eren barely has time to sprint into hiding behind an abandoned car when the unmistakable sound of gunfire is now aimed at them. The Hunters don’t seem too worried, one caustically remarking on the lack of supplies the young couple had. “What the fuck? No weapons, no food? Useless!”

 

A woman chimes in. “Please, at least take her pants. It’s not often a scrawny shit like you can find something that fits with all these men around.”

 

The other two men roar with laughter as if it were a particularly funny inside joke. The first one retorts back. “Jeez, at least I wear pants. God knows how many times _you’ve_ been passed around without them.”

 

“Oh fuck off loser, at least I can get some.” She fires back without much heat. 

 

Levi and Eren use the distraction of their conversation to make their way to another building. But going any further would mean leaving cover so they’d have to make it count. 

 

“Goddammit you two, would it kill you to shut up for once? We got some more tourists to take care of. You don’t want the Head Bitch to have our asses if we don’t get enough this month, do you?”

 

Grumbling ensues but they quiet down, only the displacement of stray rocks on the ground enough to indicate their positions. Levi peeks up through one of the windows of the car they’re behind to catch a glimpse and points out where they are to Eren. As he explains their plan to Eren in a hushed whisper against his ear, Eren slowly unhooks his bow and notches an arrow. 

 

Timing is everything. At Levi’s signal, he picks up a broken bottle and tosses it to the far side of the intersection, right by a dumpster. Immediately, the man and the woman who were arguing before go to inspect the noise. The other two remain wary. Just as Levi makes to rise and take them down, the sound of the motor comes again. 

 

There’s no hope for it. They need to get rid of these guys quick. If that car shows up and the passengers see that there are people to kill, they’d be outnumbered on the spot. But if he and Levi can get out before they show up, there’d be a much better chance. 

 

An understanding passes between them and simultaneously Levi fires at the two men and Eren shoots and the man and woman. One arrow and duck. Find a new position. Another arrow. Reassess the situation. The man is down but the woman is still pissed. She was his second target and she was wary. The woman reaches for her gun with a scream but leaves the arrow in her arm. “You fucking tourists! You want some of this?”

 

She sprints forward, right to where Eren is hiding but instead of letting her ambush him, he races out towards her as well. A gun is quick, but if Eren can close the distance and disarm her, it’d be useless. So he does. She clearly did not expect him to do something so suicidal as racing towards a gun and that moment of hesitation gives him all the time he needs. By the time she’s refocused, Eren is close enough to lunge at her and tackle her to the ground. 

 

Her head hits the pavement with a smack but she uses the gun to whack Eren on the head. It stings like a bitch and there’s blood on his face again but he holds down her arms and wrenches the gun far away. He’s reaching for his newly acquired knife to stab her when something stops him. A thrumming that he can’t believe he’d been stupid enough to miss. 

 

Keeping her steady beneath him by sitting on her hips, Eren looks over to see the car. Or rather, the SUV. A large machine gun is mounted on the top. It’s large and black, looking military grade if it weren’t for the…decorations. Barbed wire runs along the bar on top and a body is splayed out on the hood, ropes holding the arms and legs in place. Spray-painted letters between the dead man’s legs read: RUN.

 

The vehicle isn’t what stops him. It’s the lack of reaction. This SUV, likely the Hunters’ allies, got close enough to them to see the situation and still didn’t act to help them. The people inside still haven’t come out. Eren checks to see Levi standing casually to his side, very slowly inching his way back to Eren. Two bodies lay at his feet, one man’s face still in a caricature of surprise at how easily his life was taken. 

 

When Levi is able to get close enough to block Eren’s view, the doors open. One by one, men and women climb out. If Eren were in a better mood, he’d feel like laughing about how many fit in there. As it is, they all pile out and then just stand there, staring. Levi’s hands twitch and Eren knows he wants to go for a weapon, but that’s far too risky. They’re far outnumbered and far out-gunned. It’d be best to see where this goes before reacting. 

 

Echoing laughter cuts through the tension like a knife, and a tall man walks forward, the Hunters opening up a path as he moves. _He’s old_ , Eren thinks, fairly surprised. It’s not like he hasn’t seen older people before, but it wouldn’t be wrong to assume it’s harder to survive outside a zone. And the intruder seems to hold sway over the group, like a leader. The man must be at least in his sixties, with weathered tan skin and creases around his eyes. His face is scruffy, but his long hair is slicked back and he strides forward with a confidence that cannot be faked. 

 

The woman beside him scans the area, her piercing gaze glancing on Eren for only a moment before resting on Levi. It wasn’t hard to tell why. The man beside her walks right to him as if he had come for this reason alone.

 

Instead of stopping a reasonable distance away to talk, he only walks closer, circling around Levi like he’s a rare and interesting specimen to examine. His voice comes out in a gravelly drawl. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knows who the guy is? 
> 
> P.S. Let me know if you're curious about the other songs on "Hank's Birthday Bash!"


	9. Old Friends, New Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, just a MASSIVE thank you to all of you guys for being so patient with me! I promise that I haven't given up on this story and all your kind words just made me smile so much! As for the reason for the delay, I finally bought my own place! That means I can decorate how I want, be a lot closer to work, and finally be free of roommates! (no more fridge disputes!) On the other hand, there was a lot to do to fix it up which means I've been pretty much MIA the past few months. But don't worry, I plan on the next chapter to be finished in a much shorter time. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, kudos and comments are always appreciated! :) :) :)

Eren almost startles out of his tense posture. Unlike what the hostile vehicle behind the man or the other Hunters around would suggest, he sounds honestly amused at the situation, even as his boots trail through the blood of his comrades on the ground. He’s much taller than Levi and seems to revel in that fact as he looks down on him. And he’s confident. Two very sizable guns are holstered on his hips as well as a Bowie knife sheathed on his thigh but his hands rest easy at his sides. 

 

Eventually, he comes to a standstill in front of Levi once more and just looks at him, considering. Eren slowly gets up off the woman he had attacked, staring at her movements just in case she tries to kill him in this weird stalemate that’s going on. But she only glares at him before standing with a wince and approaching the SUV warily, leaving a wide space between the man and herself. 

 

Once she’s several yards away, Eren yanks his arrow out of the man he shot and walks to stand by Levi’s side. Despite someone new arriving and leaving the man outnumbered, he barely spares a glance at him before going back to grinning at Levi. 

 

Eren turns to look at Levi, hoping for a clue of some sort, especially if they’re going to be dealing with some sort of crazy man that even his own people fear. Contrary to his expectations though, Levi doesn’t even glance at him. 

 

Despite the height difference and the other man’s lack of movement, both keep wary eyes on each other, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. While that makes sense for Levi, why would the old man be the same? It finally clicks when he spreads his arms wide and grins at Levi while Levi eases out of his slight crouch almost imperceptibly. These two know each other.

 

Not bothered by the lack of response, the man continues. “I’ve always considered myself the luckiest man in the shittiest situations. But you know that.” He nods to Levi and then continues on his speech.

 

“So you see, when one of my men came to me saying that the 8th squad had been torn through by _one person_ I found myself surprised. Tourists, even. Poor bastard was practically pissing himself telling me the story. Said that he only got away by hiding and that everyone was killed by a single man with a kid. But the damndest thing was, this man who cut down another squad by himself was a short little shit with an undercut. Didn’t look impressive at all until he attacked. And well, I just thought there’s no way that I can be _that_ lucky. And yet here we are. What are the fucking odds, punk?”

 

Levi’s jaw tightens before he mutters. “Slim.”

 

“Slim to none more like!” And the man roars with laughter, more of a hoarse gasping than anything else. “I thought you left to ‘start fresh’ and look at you now. Guess some things never change.”

 

Levi doesn’t bother responding again and something on his face sends the man into laughter again. His humor fades to a cough, but no one is fooled to think that this is an easy man to take down, least of all with his crew standing ready behind him. Seemingly unbothered by his unresponsive audience, the man starts again. He glances at the woman beside him, “You know, I was just telling Traute here a few stories of our heyday, way back when. It’s almost deja vu at this point really.”

 

Almost as though the thought just occurs to him, he asks, “what happened to Farlan anyway, did he finally die? Or did you kill him? Bet you must have gotten tired lugging that dead weight around.”

 

With a pointed look at Eren, he continues, “or just exchanged him for a newer model.”

 

There’s a pregnant pause as he lets the words set in, but Levi still doesn’t rise to the bait. His clenched jaw and unwavering stare are the only indications that he’s affected at all by the man. And that seems to be enough for him to grin in victory. 

 

The pacing starts again. “Hey, did I ever tell you about the time-“ his sentence cuts off as the man abruptly stops talking and lunges. Eren’s jaw nearly drops. He had done nothing but focus on this man as he talked, as he moved, as he gestured, and he didn’t even notice him about to attack. His hand is already on his newly acquired knife, but he gets no chance to push forward this time.

 

Knowing the trick, Levi swings out a kick to knock Eren back and out of the way, giving him just enough time to dodge the man’s knife. With a grunt, Eren falls to the ground and drops his knife. In the split second, Eren can only register confusion as to why he would choose to attack that way when he very easy access to the two guns resting on his hips.

 

Like a prearranged signal, once Levi and the man start to fight the rest of the men and women surrounding them rush to Eren. Eren isn’t unskilled or a coward, but it’s impossible for him to take down so many armed Hunters at once. Both his arms are grabbed and someone even ties down his legs with a very stained rope. Eren struggles his way to look over their heads to see Levi but he can’t, not with the way the cold-eyed woman from before grabs his head to face her. His shouts are impeded by the sweaty fabric shoved in his mouth as he is bundled into the backseat of the SUV and driven away, unable to even catch a glimpse of Levi. The last thing he thinks is that of all things, he really wished they hadn’t used a sock to gag him.

 

 

*****

 

 

Eren wakes up sitting in a grand ballroom that is still relatively unscathed from the passages of time. Crystal chandeliers adorn the ceiling at regular intervals, surrounded by gold molding. There’s a large stage against the wall he’s facing, the heavy red curtain still pulled halfway across, ready to reveal the performer for the next show. Even a piano is resting there, relatively intact. His backpack and weapons lay on top of it. Light pours through the windows to his right and into his eyes, making him squint. There only seems to be one exit in the form of grand wooden double doors to his left. 

 

The round tables scattered about the room each have a tablecloth, ready to set up for the next meal despite the heavy layer of dust. Eren is almost in the exact center of the room itself, right in the open. Any tables or chairs other than his own have been cleared away, leaving only him. Looking around, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else in the room. Eren twists his head as best he can and can’t see anyone behind him either.

 

The same dirty rope from before that once held his ankles together is now securing them to the legs of a chair. More rope winds around to bind his chest to the back. His wrists are held by plastic zip ties behind him. The slight sprain from the crash is throbbing even harder at the tightness of the bindings. Eren gives an experimental shrug to stretch his shoulders, but there isn’t much give. 

 

A quick squirm in the chair shows that while the rest of his supplies are gone, they didn’t find the switchblade folded up in his back pocket. It does make sitting uncomfortable but that’s a minor price to pay. The only issue is that he can’t reach it with the way he’s set up. He’d have to create an opportunity for himself. Eren’s eyes wander the room, looking for any clues as to what the situation might be.

 

 

The sunlight pouring through west-facing windows suggest that at least an hour has passed. Which he knows is…not good. He had a mild concussion from the crash, been in several fights, hit in the head with a gun, and knocked out again to be transported. Safe to say, it hasn’t been a good couple of hours, no need for his father to tell him. 

 

But there’s nothing to be done about that. The major concern is why he’s even waking up at all. The Hunters have proven well enough that they aren’t the “kidnap” sort of crew. And it’s not like he has much of value on him. For crying out loud, he can even see his backpack on the stage in front of him. Most importantly, however, is what he can’t see. Levi. 

 

His mind is a little hazy, but he does remember the tall man circling Levi. He remembers standing by Levi, taunts, and provocations, and daggers glinting wickedly in the sun with moves too fast to track. He remembers trying to help only to be outnumbered and overpowered. He doesn’t remember how he got here. 

 

And right now, all Eren can feel is tired, frustrated, and pissed off. He needs to get out of here, and quick. He needs to find Levi so they can leave this city and put it far, far behind them. He doesn’t give a damn about finding Ilse anymore. If Levi wasn’t here, that meant that he hadn’t been captured. So the more likely scenario was that he and that man had fought and Levi was injured. Eren couldn’t afford to sit around and wait until Levi showed up to help. 

 

Thinking quickly, the only way to get a better picture of what was going on was to see who he was up against. Even assuming he could get out of his restraints by himself, there were no guarantees on what he would find when he left. He needed more information. Luckily he’s able to spit the gag out with some effort and finally take a deep breath of fresher air than breathing in someone else’s sweaty feet. 

 

“Hello?” His voice comes out stronger than he expects, but almost echoes in the empty room. Nothing happens. So Eren tests the rope holding down his legs and calls, “anyone out there?” 

 

The double doors to his left burst open with a bang just as Eren was testing the strength of his wrist constraints again. He immediately looks up to see not only some of the same crew that had taken him down earlier but the same woman who had gagged him. He couldn’t quite remember her name, but he bets that this was the “Head Bitch” the Hunters they met before mentioned. 

 

Her face is as cold as ever, but it’s better than nothing. Eren grins up at her and says, “hey, there. You know, you guys have some pretty shitty service going on here. Afraid I’ll have to give you a bad review. Tourists are always looking for somewhere nice, whatever will you do when your main source of income dries up?”

 

Her ice blue eyes are impassive, but Eren can see the three men behind her getting pissed. He gives a wry grin, “maybe you can start hunting each other.”

 

Eren nods to the smallest man at the back of the group. “I bet he doesn’t contribute much. Wouldn’t hurt to cut down some dead weight. Nice boots too.”

 

The woman only gazes at him before striking out as quick as a snake to punch him in the jaw. It hurts like hell, but Eren only spits off to the side and rubs his face on his shoulder. He finally got a reaction. 

 

“Hey, I get it, I get it. We all need cannon fodder every once and a while. It’s hard to remember how tough you are if you can’t prove it by punching a tied up kid. What did you say your name was? Salmon? Flounder? Tuna?”

 

She just stares, lips pursed, before responding. “Traute.”

 

Eren blinks, surprised she bothered to answer, then he laughs. “I knew it was a fish!”

 

Traute’s expression sours even more. “It’s not.”

 

He maintains his smile even when the largest man behind her starts moving forward. While still looking at Eren she says, “back off.” 

 

The crew behind her is looking furious, but they all behave and give her space. There’s a beat, and once Eren realizes that she doesn’t intend to contribute any more to the conversation, he pipes up again. 

 

“Well, Traute-not the fish-can you tell me why I’m tied up?”

 

“…”

 

“Can you tell me where I am?”

 

“…”

 

“Can you tell me why your boss was so interested in Levi?”

 

“…”

 

“Can you speak at all or was I hallucinating before?”

 

“…Kenny will be back soon.” And with that, Traute turns around and leaves, keeping only the three men in the room with him. They all glare at him for a bit before getting bored with his lack of reaction and end up sitting at one of the tables by the door and talking. 

 

Eren huffs a breath at the absurdity of the situation. He’s being held captive for a reason that no one either seems to know or want to disclose. And, punch aside, they really haven’t done anything too awful. I mean, it’s not like they’re actually treating him as a treasured guest or anything. There’s been no mention of food or water and he really doesn’t want to test their kindness by asking for a bathroom break. If it weren’t for the occasional glances his way, he’d think that they didn’t even notice him. Which really isn’t ideal, as with no distractions he’s only given more time to think. 

 

As each minute passes by, Eren gets more and more worried about Levi. The longer he doesn’t show his surly face, the more Eren thinks that he could be in serious danger. He can’t imagine Levi being taken down by an old man, but something must have happened for him not to show up by now. There’s a chance that if that man had known Levi as well as he had implied, he might know how to fight him too. It’s not a given either one will win. 

 

Not to mention that the man has complete control over the city. What if he had more men and more guns ready to show up? But would he really put in that much effort for one person? Who was Levi to him, really? There seemed to be a lot of shared history between them, and he even mentioned Farlan who hasn’t been working with Levi for years. 

 

On the other hand, Levi’s incredibly skilled and undeniably efficient. He’s taken down runners, clickers, and even a bloater almost single-handedly! Maybe he killed the man, but he’s injured right now. There’s no way he could have gotten out of there without at least one wound. He’d have to heal for a bit before he could come. That’s why it’s taken so long. 

 

And then, there’s another possibility. That Levi won against the man, with no significant injuries and is cutting his losses. Eren shakes his head at the thought immediately. Levi is a man that keeps his word, and his father had told him to trust him. Levi had done nothing but protect him this whole trip out of loyalty to his friends. But Eren knows well enough that loyalty only goes so far when your life is on the line. It’s hard to get rid of the doubt. 

 

If that’s the case, no matter how slight the likelihood is, Eren needs to come up with some contingencies on how to get out of here without any help. 

 

He’s so deep in thought that he almost jumps when the double doors open again. Traute is there as expected, but she leaves the doors open behind her to welcome that tall man from before. This must be Kenny. He speaks to her for a moment before leaving her by the door to come closer. 

 

He was still walking with unfailing confidence, even with a limp he didn’t have before. His hat is gone and so is one of his guns but his demeanor seems unconcerned. What Eren’s eyes focus most on is the spray of blood across his chest, and the steadily bleeding stain of red spreading from his shoulder down.

 

Eyes flicking between everyone’s faces, Eren tries to piece together what might have happened. He’s still trying to figure it out when Kenny pulls out a chair from one of the tables and sits on it backward in front of him. His legs are spread wide and he rests his chin on his folded arms atop the back. Then he just stares. Eren blinks. Is this where Traute got her creepy habit?

 

After a prolonged silence, Eren finally decides to break the stalemate. “You’re Kenny, right?”

 

The man who he guesses is Kenny takes a deep breath through his nose and smiles. “That’s right, kiddo. Did Levi tell you all about me or was it Traute? Horribly chatty, the two of them. Couldn’t get them to shut up if I tried. I’m sure you noticed.”

 

Eren almost laughs at his friendly demeanor that is so out of place considering he’s tied up in front of him. “Oh yeah, Levi could talk the ear off corn. But for some reason, you never came up.”

 

Kenny doesn’t seem upset. Only shakes his head like a disappointed parent. “That punk. You give them the best years of your life, teach ‘em everything you know, and for what? They grow up, they know better than you, and they’re off to greener pastures.”

 

It takes a while to process. For all his thoughts about their relationship, the concept of Kenny as a parent never came up. Eren gapes. “What does that mean, you raised him?”

 

Kenny shakes his head. “Regrettably no, I think I would’ve liked to see what he looked like _even shorter._ Sadly, I only got to know him after the outbreak.” 

 

His gaze drifts away as if remembering the time. Then he looks back. “I _did_ teach him everything I knew though. He probably wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for me and all he does as a greeting is shoot me!”

 

Eren opens his mouth to ask about the fight, but Kenny cuts him off. “In fact, he didn’t mention anything about _you_ either.”

 

The question he has building stops in his throat. “I didn’t expect that you two were having idle chit chat while watching the sunset.”

 

Kenny lets out another barking sort of laugh. “No, that’d be right. So why don’t _you_ tell me about you?”

 

“There’s not much to know.”

 

“That’s bullshit. You plan on sitting here avoiding all of my questions?”

 

Eren rolls the possibility around in his mind, absently twisting his wrists for a brief reprieve in the tension. How long could he procrastinate until Kenny got bored of him? Then he sits up straighter and proposes his idea. “There’d be no benefit to telling you anything. Unless you tell me something as well. How about a question for a question? That is if you really are that curious about me.” 

 

Seeing Kenny about to speak up, he interjects, “and no lies.”

 

“Well, well, looks like the puppy has a bite.” He rubs his jaw, weathered skin tightening and loosening with the movement. 

 

“I like the way you think, kiddo. Quid pro quo and all that. How about this? We get five questions each, and we can only tell one lie. There’s no point if it’s just handed to you after all.” He gives a cheeky wink and then waits. 

 

Eren studies the man again, debating whether he can trust him to adhere to his own rules or tell if he doesn’t. In the end, Eren figures that whatever lies he might be telling would have at least some grain of truth. He nods and then waits. The first to play is the first to lose. 

 

Kenny sees through his amateur attempt at manipulation and just clicks his tongue. A few seconds pass and he grabs a knife to start cleaning grime out from under his nails. His hoarse voice hums a tune. Knowing that Kenny really doesn’t have anything to lose by not playing, Eren concedes and starts. 

 

“Why did you kidnap me?”

 

“Oh, straight to the good stuff. Don’t want to ask me who I am?” Kenny finishes his right hand and then moves onto the left.”If I had to say, idle curiosity I guess.” 

 

Dumbfounded, all Eren can say is, “Is that it?” The other man laughs. 

 

“You plan on using your second question so soon?”

 

“No. I guess that means it’s your turn.” Eren tries to keep the petulant tone out of his voice, but he’s not sure that it works. 

 

Kenny finishes his left hand and lifts it up, admiring the clean nails on such a dirtied, bloodied hand. “Okay, first things first, how did you and Levi meet?”

 

“Through my father.” Two can play at that game. A beat, and then Kenny grins again.

 

“Not bad, you’re a quick study. Barely an answer though.”

 

Eren smiles, “but it’s the truth. Now me again. How long have you and Levi known each other?”

 

“Hmmm…maybe fourteen or fifteen years I think. Only really spent time together for four of them. About a decade ago now, which is why I’m surprised he still hasn’t grown an inch.”

 

Eren lets out a breath, at least Kenny gave a little more information this time. 

 

“Why are you in Pittsburgh? You came with a truck, so I imagine you don’t live nearby.”

 

Pursing his lips, Eren says, “we had a plan to head out west, heard from a friend that Pittsburgh was a good place to stop.”

 

“Interesting friend. Such a good place and they didn’t come with you.” 

 

Eren smiles at the insinuation but doesn’t elaborate. “What caused the separation between you two? It didn’t seem like a friendly reunion out there.”

 

“No, I wouldn’t figure it did. He’s still incredibly sensitive I guess. I didn’t do anything horrible really-no more than he did-but he was not a fan of the way we left things. Thought he’d do better apart, I guess. Not sure if he’s right.”

 

Eren narrows his eyes at the wording. It seems even more intentionally vague than his other answers. “I wouldn’t really place you on a pedestal of being a good judge of what’s horrible or not.”

 

Kenny ignores him and leads right into his next question. “Has Levi mentioned Farlan at all, what happened to him?”

 

Curious at the train of thought, Eren studies him. Kenny had brought up Farlan before as well. So did his father. Who was Farlan to Levi? “No, he hasn’t. All I know is that they were friends that aren’t traveling together anymore.”

 

Rubbing his jaw, Kenny leans back. “‘Friends that aren’t traveling together anymore.’ And you didn’t hear about it from Levi. Your father, maybe? He’s the one who introduced you. But how would he know your father…? Oh well, it's a question for another time. Go ahead.”

 

“Why are you Hunters? I know you’re the leader, so tell me why you feel the need to prey on anyone that comes through this city that you don’t think is ‘yours.’”

 

Kenny just looks at him like he would a toddler. “You’re too naive. Why do you raid empty houses? Why do you kill the infected? Because we want to live. We need supplies, we need a safe place to stay, and I need a controlled group that won’t devolve into anarchy the moment my back is turned. We can’t cater to the weak if we want to survive.”

 

Eren scowls at his avoidance, still thinking of the children’s shoes he had found earlier. He taunts, “but it surprises me that the only way a man like you can think to do that is what I’ve seen so far. There have to be other ways to maintain the wellbeing of your crew.”

 

Kenny just shakes his head. “You’re still such a child. I don’t care how old you are, if you think things are so black and white, you’ll never grow up.”

 

Searching Eren’s expression, he asks, “was today the first time you’ve killed someone? Not a runner, not some plated freak who screams, but a human.”

 

Eren swallows. He thinks of grimy men and bright eyes and even brighter blood. He thinks of the way his blood raced for hours later and didn’t calm until she held his hand. “No, it wasn’t the first time.”

 

“Fascinating. And yet you sit on such a moral high ground.” A beat passes. “I wonder if it felt good. I wonder if you liked it, the power, the rush of taking someone’s life into your own hands. Or did you think their lives didn’t matter because they were ‘bad’ people?”

 

Eren doesn’t respond. “…Did you kill Levi?”

 

Finally, Kenny’s grin falls. He looks to the side, considering. “I don’t think so.”

 

“You don’t think so?! What does that even mean?”

 

Kenny shrugs. “What can I say, he’s a scrappy bastard. I can’t say for sure until I see a body.”

 

He stands and stretches, then walks over to Eren. His hand trails down his neck, then over each knob of his spine, until he reaches Eren’s right wrist and grabs it tight. Traute and the men over by the doors look over to watch him walk behind Eren and breathe in his ear. “When were you bit?”

 

Eren’s breath catches at the question, arms flexing unconsciously to hide. Kenny holds his arm firm, sliding up his sleeve even more. He’s sure that his heartbeat is fluttering and there’s really no use denying it. Especially if Kenny has known this whole time and still hasn’t made a move. So he whispers, “just outside the city.”

 

Kenny runs his finger’s through Eren’s hair softly and then grabs a handful hard to yank his head back. The grin is back as he looks down. “Really now? Then I guess I’ll keep you around. Should be interesting to see someone turn real slow right in front of me. I wonder how long you’ll last.”

 

Eren’s head is shoved back down to his chest with force. He grunts and then slowly rolls his neck to try and release some of the tension with a grimace. He shakes his wrists to slide his sleeve down once more. “So now what, you’re just going to watch me go crazy? Pull up a chair for the show?”

 

Kenny waves Traute over and she comes obediently forward. He mumbles something in her ear and she nods with only a quick glance to Eren before leaving. Kenny turns back to face him and sits back down in his chair. “I told you before, you’re a quick study.”

 

Swallowing hard, Eren can only glare at Kenny for putting him in this situation. Maybe he hopes to see him sweat, and get angry, and thrash in the throes of a fevered infection. But he won’t get that. The only redness in his face will be from frustration and sitting under the sun’s glare. And so they wait, Eren for an opportunity, and Kenny for an ending that will never come. 

 

Noting his silence, Kenny soon gets bored of staring and begins speaking again. He seems to love the sound of his own voice and he tells a story well. Just not the one Eren had wanted to hear. He had only just begun to tell Eren about the memories of growing up in Louisiana with his grandfather when Traute comes rushing back into the room, face even more pinched than usual. She snaps something to the men still gathered by the door and then whispers something urgent to Kenny. 

 

His narrowed eyes widen and then crinkle as his ever-present grin only gets bigger. “I’ll see you later, Eren.”

 

Standing, Kenny tips an imaginary hat to Eren and leaves with a resounding slam of the doors. Eren waits a few minutes to confirm that he’s left for good. Only then can he process the words that Kenny said. He called him Eren. Eren had never told Kenny his name. Traute had not asked it either. So how did he know?

 

Thinking that now is not the time to be concerned with that, Eren decides to put his plan in motion. Kenny and Traute and everyone else just seems more and more suspicious. And he doesn’t imagine it will be any safer the longer he stays. 

 

Catching sight of the three men in the corner who have relaxed again now that Kenny is gone, he groans. A few seconds later he groans again, jerking his body for good measure. His legs shake and the chair rattles enough to grab the three men’s attention. One of them rolls his eyes and heads over. 

 

He’s probably thinking that Eren was easy to take down before so he’s not a big threat. The other two go back to talking and when the guard gets close, Eren jerks again and falls over in the chair. The other man laughs at his predicament and stays standing to watch him writhe on the carpet. The smack of his back against the floor is enough for him to let out a real grunt of pain. He’s only feeling grateful that he was able to keep his head up enough not to hit it again.

 

Eren strains his legs against the rope and rolls around a bit trying to sit upright again. The movement is enough to distract from his hands searching the ground for his fallen blade out of his pocket and using it to cut his wrist restraints. For once, he’s grateful for such a small weapon. Refraining from sighing in relief at the lack of restriction, he rolls his wrists around and prepares. He doesn’t hide a wince at the slight pain his sprain still gives for the benefit of the guard. Eren stops moving around and whispers in a suitably miserable tone, “please just help me up.”

 

The guard rolls his eyes but bends over him to haul him up. Once he’s upright, Eren holds one side of his neck and stabs him in the throat, watching his eyes bulge out and the blood gurgle slowly from his lips. Just like the man in the bookstore. He’s not strong enough to hold him up for an extended period with just one hand, so Eren works fast. The blade he turns on himself cuts his chest and shirt even more than the rope and he’s out of time. As the rope around his chest falls to the ground, Eren grabs hold of the man’s shirt so have him slide down as Eren cuts around his legs. 

 

Only his right leg is free by the time the other two notice something wrong. It’s either the silence, lack of movement, or the awkward position in which the guard’s body is practically laying on top of Eren that gives it away. With a shout of, “Hey!” the guards come running over. Eren abandons all pretense of secrecy and drops the man to grab the gun held at his waist. 

 

Eren drops his blade to the floor by his foot and shoots. He can almost hear Shadis in his head. _I know a headshot looks cool to all you recruits, but I’m just here to keep as many of you alive as possible. Aim for the largest body mass. That’s your best bet to make the hit._

 

So Eren does. And Shadis was right. They go down easy, only the wisps of struggled breath indicating their life. Eren uses his blade once again to finally free himself from the chair and sticks it back in his pocket. The gun still has three shots left and he uses two to finish the dying men off for good. Looking down at them, Eren notices that the ring on the cord around his neck has fallen out from his shirt. With a complicated expression, he tucks it carefully back in. 

 

After a moment of silence, Eren races for the stage to grab his backpack and rifle through it, making sure nothing was taken. Before he can finish, a loud explosion goes off, rocking the building. The pounding of footsteps can be heard, many and coming fast, so Eren hides behind the heavy curtain to wait. As he had hoped, even if they heard the gunshots, these Hunters are more concerned with whoever set off that explosion. The rush of a large group races right past the ballroom and probably deeper into the building.

 

Eren doesn’t hear the sound of any more coming so he slides his backpack on and inches towards the double doors. If things are as hectic as they sound, he imagines that he could just escape in the confusion and head to where he and Levi were supposed to go to find Ilse. It’s the only place he can think of that they would both know. He’d just need to climb to a rooftop to find landmarks to orient himself again. 

 

He’s just about to leave, hand on the door, when he pauses. This had been way too easy. He hadn’t been searched completely, leaving his blade on him. Even what had been taken was within reach once he was free and relatively undisturbed. For crying out loud, the only supervision he’d had was uninterested guards that were simple to fool. Kenny knew what his name was and didn’t seem to have any real interest in killing him. Debating whether his escape might just be another game of Kenny’s idle curiosity, he hesitates. 

 

Right beside the doors, he leans flat against the wall and listens again for anyone coming or a trap of some kind. He hears nothing and reaches out to the ornate handle only to have it open from the other side with no warning and a man push through. Eren curses his luck and swings his arm up to fire but his right wrist is squeezed and he drops the gun. He is then thrown back down on the ground with both of his arms pinned above his head in one hand and the other one covering his mouth. 

 

Eren thrashes and tries to bite the hand on him but he stops abruptly. Because of course. Who else could it be but Levi? He’s bleeding over one eye and his skin looks paler than usual but his pissed off face right now is the best thing Eren’s seen in weeks. Seeing the recognition in his eyes, Levi takes his hands off his mouth and arms.

 

A startled laugh escapes him and he quips, “we really have to stop meeting like this.”

 

Levi slides off him and stands up, lending him a hand. Eren takes it and smiles, noticing Levi give a slight grin back. It’s more of a flash of teeth than anything else, but he drinks it in. 

 

“Then I guess you’ll have to stick close."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 5/12/19: Since it's been a while, I've also been able to look at this story with "fresh" eyes, so I'm expecting to update a few things over the next couple days. Nothing major, but just cleaning up some sections/word choices that don't really fit.


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